Trouble in Paradise
by Dayoh
Summary: After six months of dating, Stephanie and Ranger finally take their first vacation together. But, even in paradise, they find themselves being pulled into a dangerous game of crime and corruption. *Author's Note* This story is a continuation in a serie
1. Chapter 1

Trouble in Paradise

By Dayoh

Chapter One

The scent of fresh ocean water drifted through the open windows of the taxi, floating through Stephanie's nostrils, calming her senses. She relaxed into Ranger's side, his arm draping her shoulders like a protective cloak. As the taxi approached a fifteen story resort, created in the center of Cancun Mexico, a smile spread across Stephanie's face. She and Ranger had seven days to enjoy a small piece of paradise; far away from the industrialized metropolis of New Jersey. She felt like a child who'd just stepped into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, and she was craving a peaceful vacation with Ranger.

"Wow!" Stephanie said enthusiastically, goggling the building. The resort is huge."

Ranger glanced out the window and studied the structure of the building. "By all accounts, it's one of the best resorts in Cancun, close to all the action."

The Royal Palace was within walking distance from the beach, and Stephanie glanced longingly at the crystal clear, blue water, framed by white sand that glistened like snow. It was a beautiful sight.

"I can't wait to get into that water."

"Yeah," Ranger agreed. "We'll definitely get to swim with the fish. They surround you when you're in the water. It's kind of cool."

"You've been to Cancun?" Stephanie asked Ranger.

"I was here years ago, during a spring break college trip."

"You could afford a resort like the Royal Palace when you were in college?"

"No. There were six of us piled up in a roach motel."

"But you had a good time, right?"

"From what I can remember," Ranger admitted. "I was wasted most of the time. It's all a blur now."

The driver pulled the taxi up to the double glass doors of the resort, turned in his seat and smiled at Stephanie and Ranger. Pulling out his wallet, Ranger handed the man a wad of cash, thanking him in Spanish. And then he gave Stephanie a soft nudge. "Let's go."

Climbing out of the car, they were greeted by a tall, slim, brown skinned bellhop who looked to be in his late teens. He walked directly to the trunk of the cab and grabbed their luggage. Placing two large suitcases and one overnight bag on his roll-away platform, he motioned for his guests to follow him into the hotel lobby.

The lobby of the Royal Palace was adequately cooled by an air conditioner and welcoming in design. There were plush, burgundy club chairs scattered throughout the area, and, in the middle of the lobby, there was an oval shaped skylight hovering over four decorated columns. And forest type foliage hanging from the center of the skylight created a tropical atmosphere inside the lobby, creating a feeling of warmth. The young bellhop led Stephanie and Ranger to the front desk and stood to the side, waiting patiently as they checked in.

Ranger handled the check in process while Stephanie took in the sights and sounds of the beautiful hotel lobby. A multitude of vacationer's carried drinks from a bar at the west end of the lobby, while others were gathered in a quaint, retail store at the east end. A medium sized restaurant sat directly across from a set of elevators at the north end of the lobby. And there was a large, glass door next to the bar that probably led to various facilities around the resort. The hotel's brochure had boasted the luxuries of two swimming pools, three restaurants, four bars, and two nightclubs. Bellhops, hotel clerks, and concierges hustled back and forth through the doors, making sure their guests had everything they needed for their stay at the Royal Palace Resort.

"Earth to Babe," Ranger said to Stephanie.

She turned to see a uniformed, Hispanic woman smiling at her from behind the desk. She was dangling a yellow wrist band in her hand.

"This band let's the staff know that you are vacationing under an all-inclusive package," she said to Stephanie.

Stephanie smiled at the pretty woman and offered up her wrist.

"I was just telling Mr. Manoso that you have to keep the band on for the duration of your stay. You can enjoy our restaurants and activities at no extra cost, as long as you're wearing the band."

"Got it," Stephanie said as the woman clamped the plastic band around her wrist. Ranger had paid for the room and their meals in advance, gratuity included.

The clerk stretched a wide, bright toothed grin across her face and passed two, plastic key cards to Ranger. And in a cheery voice she said, "Enjoy your stay at the Royal Palace!"

Ranger and Stephanie thanked the desk clerk and followed the bellhop to the elevator, quietly riding to the tenth floor.

Ranger opened the door to their hotel room and thanked the bellhop by pushing a ten dollar bill into his hand. "Gracias," the youngster said around a professional smile. And then he hurried off to his next project.

"I thought gratuity was included in the package," Stephanie said.

Ranger pushed the door open with his foot and grabbed the suitcases. "I'm in a generous mood."

"Good to know." Stephanie grabbed the overnight bag, filled with shoes, and followed Ranger into the room.

Setting the bag down on the Italian tiled floor, her eyes gaped at the sight of the lavish room. The front door opened into a quaint, sitting area, adorned with a club chair and loveseat that was covered with violet and cream upholstery. And the curtains on the windows were covered in the same material as the furniture. There was a cherry wood coffee table sitting between the chair and love seat, and a cherry wood cabinet supported a 32 inch, wide screen television.

An arched wall divider separated the bedroom from the sitting room. The king sized bed was covered with comforter decorated with thin, stripes of mauve and cream, and the headboard was made of cast iron, regally designed, adding a royal like flare to the bedroom. There were two cherry wood night stands on either side of the bed, and a small chest of drawers for clothes. A private balcony, overlooking the sparkling ocean, allowed the sun to shine through the glass doors, radiating tropical warmth throughout the bedroom. And there was a microwave and mini refrigerator in the corner of the room, sitting next to a mini bar.

Ranger looked at Stephanie expectantly. "You like?"

"It's beautiful. I love it."

"Are you hungry?" he asked. "Most of the restaurants should be serving lunch now."

Stephanie walked up to Ranger and hooked her arms around his neck. "Thank you for the vacation, Ranger. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"I'm glad you're here with me, Babe," Ranger replied softly, wrapping his arms around Stephanie's waist, pulling her snug to his body. He touched his lips to her mouth and gave her a light kiss, followed by a deep, fervent lip lock. And after a few minutes of tongue massaging, they finally came up for air.

Stephanie gazed at Ranger with a knowing look, and he took his queue dutifully. Grabbing the hem of her form-fitted blouse, he yanked the material over her head while she worked on the zipper of his jeans. Then Ranger moved to take off his own shirt, but before he could get it over his head, Stephanie had his pants unzipped and pushed down over his hips. And then she was on her knees, devouring him greedily, as if he were part of an all-you-can-eat buffet.

An hour later, they lay in bed with their limbs entwined, spooned together on top of the comforter, naked and satisfied. The balcony door was open and an ocean breeze drifted though the room, rippling the curtains.

"Are you awake?" Stephanie asked dazedly.

"Yes," Ranger said, snuggling closer to Stephanie. "You ready for another round?"

"Sounds tempting, but I'm really hungry…for food."

She felt Ranger's body shake with quiet laughter. "What? We haven't had lunch and I'm starving."

"Let's get dressed, then." Ranger gave Stephanie's ass a pinch and rolled out of bed. Stephanie followed suite, padding behind Ranger to the bathroom.

The lavatory was clean and attractive. Bright, marbled counter tops, and an Italian tiled, large shower with a wide shower head gave the room a special flare of beauty. Ranger glanced around the bathroom and then turned the shower on full blast. Stephanie pushed her hand under the water, checking the temperature. Then she adjusted the knob that controlled the cold water. Ranger liked his water steaming hot, and she liked it warm, with just a hint of hot.

"Why are you messing with my water, Babe?" Ranger asked.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

Ranger cut his eyes to Stephanie. "Stephanie, if you join me in the shower, you can forget about making it down to lunch."

While contemplating the warning, Stephanie let her eyes travel the length of Ranger's body, stopping just below his belly button. Ranger followed her gaze and smiled wickedly as he watched her lick her lips.

"We could order room service," she said seductively, closing a fist around Ranger's cock, stroking him slowly while holding his gaze.

Ranger let out a low, guttural groan, grabbed Stephanie around the waist, and lifted her off the bathroom floor. He set her naked ass down on the edge of the counter top, the cold marble chilling her skin. As he settled between her thighs, Stephanie held firm to his shaft and continued the deep tissue massage, feeling him expanding in her hands. He was ready for another round. Wrapping her legs around his waist, Stephanie closed her eyes as Ranger pushed past her folds, deep into her warm center. A low moan escaped from her lips, and she draped her arms around Ranger's neck as he rocked his pelvis slowly.

Blowing out a quivering breath, Stephanie threw her head back as Ranger traced warm kisses along her neckline. She locked her ankles around his ass, tightening her thighs around his pumping hips, matching his rhythm stroke for stroke. Ranger cupped her ass with his hands and lifted her a few inches off the counter, carefully guiding her body up and down his shaft, his breath hot and heavy against her face. Stephanie felt her body begin to tremble as an orgasm bubbled to the surface.

Ranger whispered in her ear, "Come for me, Babe, I'm so close."

And that was all it took for Stephanie to lose control. Her muscled tightened around him and she bit down into his shoulder, letting out a strangled cry. Ranger quickly followed with his own orgasm as he held Stephanie close, his muscles tensing to the point of trembling. Finally, they relaxed into each other, taking in deep breaths of air.

A few minutes passed while they recovered, and then Stephanie lifted her head from Ranger's shoulder, her legs still wrapped around his waist. "The water's still running in the shower. We should probably take advantage."

Ranger gave a lazy smile, lifted Stephanie off the counter and carried her to the shower, pushing her under the shower head. "You get started. I'll call downstairs for room service."

Stephanie unhooked her legs from around Ranger's waist and placed her feet on the tiled floor. "I want a cheeseburger and fries," she said under the spray of water as it reigned down on her hair and skin. "And hurry back while the water's still warm."

Lunch arrived thirty minutes later, allowing enough time for Stephanie and Ranger to explore the various massage settings of the removable shower head. They'd just stepped out of the bathroom when someone knocked on the door. Stephanie quickly pulled on a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top to open the door to another Royal Palace staff member. His name tag read, Julio. The man was an older, shorter, and rounder version of their bellhop, but he held the same professional smile as he pushed a cart of covered food through the door.

"Where would you like this, senorita?" Julio asked in the best English he could muster.

"You can leave it here by the door. Thank you." Julio smiled again, turned on his heels and left the room.

Stephanie lifted the lid off one warm plate and inhaled the scent of fried beef and potatoes. She had worked up one hell of an appetite with Ranger. Then she uncovered the second plate and rolled her eyes. Ranger had ordered a grilled chicken breast, brown rice, and sautéed vegetables.

He walked up behind Stephanie and pushed his pelvis into her ass, staring over her shoulder at the food. "Smells good."

"Please tell me you're going to indulge a little this week," Stephanie said, grabbing Ranger's plate and passing it to him. "Christ, you're on vacation. Live a little."

Ranger flashed a full smile and walked towards the loveseat with his plate. "I want to enjoy the ocean this afternoon. I can't get in a good swim if I'm full of red meat, Babe. I'll indulge at dinner, okay?"

"You're going to have dessert?"

"A cold beer sounds more interesting."

"I can live with that," Stephanie said, sitting next to Ranger on the love seat. They both dug in to lunch, devouring their food in silence while watching a show on HBO about people in therapy.

"Now I know why I don't watch a lot of television," Ranger said, scooping up a forkful of vegetables.

Stephanie picked up the remote and switched the station to CNN. "Well, we can always get an update on the horrendous effects of the shitty economy."

"Yeah, while we sit here in a luxurious hotel," Ranger agreed, a hint of cynicism in his tone.

Stephanie took a bite from her burger and switched the television to Oprah.

"Babe."

****

By mid afternoon, Stephanie was stretched out on a beach chair; book in hand, relaxing in the sun under a huge umbrella. Ranger was in the ocean, swimming with the fish, a task she'd decided to forgo for a while. The undigested hamburger in her stomach was making her feel a little lazy. Truth be told, she wasn't too excited with the idea of fish nipping at her feet while she explored the ocean. But Ranger thought it was cool. And she enjoyed watching him in the water, mocha skin glistening in the sun, muscles rippling. She'd never seen Ranger so carefree, actually enjoying life.

The beach front was filled with vacationing families. Kids were laughing and playing and running in the sand, in and out of the water. Teenagers played volleyball with their friends while the parents looked on. And the senior citizens relaxed under umbrellas, sipping on famous beach drinks, reading their favorite novels. Stephanie looked in the direction of the bar which was strategically placed right in the middle of a swimming pool, the bar stools submerged under water. She was ready for a Bahama Mama of her own. She turned her attention back to the beach, searching for Ranger.

He was still relaxing in the water, floating face up, eyes toward the sky. And a beautiful, brown skinned, Latina woman was treading water next to him. She was wearing a large smile on her face and her movements were animated and flirtatious. Stephanie carefully watched the interaction for a couple of minutes, feeling a small pang of jealousy in her gut. She wasn't naive enough to think that women wouldn't flirt with Ranger. He was a gorgeous man with a great body. But, there was something in the way the woman moved, an air of confidence that let Stephanie know she was on the hunt. And while Ranger didn't seem particularly interested in the conversation, he wasn't trying to get away from the attention.

Stephanie suddenly felt the urge to take a nice swim in the ocean, fish be damned.

She untied the jersey wrap from around her waist to reveal a Ralph Lauren, two-piece bikini set. She had splurged on the swimsuit because it fit the curves of her body perfectly. And, she felt sexy as hell in the little black and white number. It also didn't hurt that Ranger had given his personal stamp of approval. He'd tried to get her out of it the minute she'd modeled it in front of him. Stephanie pulled a hair clip, holding her curls at bay, out of her hair, and sauntered towards the water, ass swaying from side to side. Ranger smiled wide when she reached the edge of the water.

Following Ranger's gaze, the woman wading next to him stared at Stephanie through contemptuous eyes. Stephanie gave a finger wave and entered the water apprehensively, looking out for flesh eating fish. Ranger met her half way and scooped her up into his arms. Stephanie milked the attention for all it was worth, wrapping her arms and legs around Rangers body, a show to let the woman know he belonged to her. She realized the display was self-indulgent, but she wanted to send a _hands-off_ message to the Latina beauty.

Ranger carried Stephanie past the woman, ignoring her blatant stare. After a few awkward filled moments, the woman said to Ranger, "Well, it was nice meeting you, Carlos."

Ranger gave the woman a dismissive smile and nod, and then turned his attention back to Stephanie. The woman locked eyes with Stephanie, offering a tight smile. "I'm sorry," she said in saccharine laced tone. "I'm being rude. My name's Serena."

Stephanie returned the smile, locked her arms around Ranger's neck, and said, "I'm Stephanie. Nice to meet you, Serena." Boy, was she laying it on thick, or what?

Stephanie politely turned her back to the woman and looked at Ranger. He was clearly amused with scene. He released her into the water and she began to move her arms and legs, lightly treading the cool water.

"I thought I was going to have to come and get you, Babe," Ranger said, relaxing on his back again, letting his body float on top of the water as the soft waves caressed his skin.

"I just had to let my lunch settle."

This got a smile from Ranger. "I knew the hamburger was a bad idea."

Serena cleared her throat, letting the lovebirds know she was still around. Stephanie turned and gave her a look that screamed _you're still here? Go away!_

Ranger kept his eyes closed, doing his best to ignore the woman, now that Stephanie was running interference.

"So, are you two dating?" Serena asked coyly.

"Actually, we're celebrating our engagement" Stephanie said quickly, keeping her eyes locked on Serena.

Serena glanced down at Stephanie's left hand as it moved through the crystal clear water and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I didn't want to take the chance of losing my ring in the ocean," Stephanie lied, knowing what the woman's next question would be.

The woman looked at Ranger, as if waiting for him to confirm that he was indeed off limits, but she got nothing from him. He was feigning deep relaxation now, eyes closed, smirk on his face. He was really enjoying his _fiancé's_ antics.

"Well, I wish you the best," Serena said in a tone that could have easily been interpreted as "_I hope you drown in the ocean."_

A syrupy smile spread across Stephanie's face and she said, "Thank you. I already have the best." And out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ranger's body tremble with laughter, but she kept her eyes locked on Serena. _Take that, bitch_.

Serena kicked her legs under the water and swam away dramatically. When she was out of earshot, Stephanie poked Ranger in the stomach and said, "Hey, you can open your eyes now, Casanova."

Ranger smiled wide and opened his eyes. "I thought you were going to invite her to help you shop for a wedding dress," he said around a laugh. "You know, the title of fiancé for you means unlimited fellatio for me."

Stephanie rolled her eyes at Ranger and mirrored his position, floating on top of the water, the sun soaking into her skin. "She was a little aggressive. I think she wanted to drown me when I told her we were engaged."

"She was driving me crazy," Ranger said. "I was wondering when you'd get in the damn water."

"I was thinking about a drink when I noticed. You could have come out of the water if she was bugging you that much. She was very pretty, though."

"I already have a pretty woman, and she's sexy as hell, too."

Stephanie turned her head to Ranger and gave him a warm smile. "You know, I realized something when I saw Serena flirting with you. I have a jealous streak that stems from insecurity."

"Babe, if the tables had been turned, I probably would have drowned the guy…accidentally."

Stephanie smiled at Ranger's humor, but she knew there was probably some truth to his words. Then she said, "Admit it, you enjoy the attention."

Ranger nodded his head, the water rippling beneath him. "Yeah, I enjoy the attention. But I also enjoy being with you. And I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize our relationship."

"A woman would be crazy not to flirt with you. Serena just rubbed me the wrong way, that's all." Stephanie started treading water again, and then she gave Ranger's stomach another poke. "I'm ready for a drink."

Ranger pulled himself to an upright position in the water, treading the soft waves. "I could indulge in a couple of cold beers. Let's hit the bar. And then we'll relax on the beach until it's time for dinner. Sound good?"

"Sounds great," Stephanie said, suddenly noticing an assortment of colorful fish swimming around her feet, nipping at her ankles. She gave a yelp and jumped on Ranger's back.

"They're not going to hurt you," Ranger chuckled. "Come on, let's take a closer look."

Ranger submerged his body under the water, bringing Stephanie along with him. After a few seconds, their heads surfaced, Stephanie hanging on to Ranger's neck for dear life, her body draped around his back. "Cut it out, Ranger! I swear, if you don't get me away from these fish…"

Ranger barked out a laugh and submerged their bodies again, bringing a halt to Stephanie's protest, mid sentence. Once again coming up for air, Stephanie found herself laughing and spitting salt water into Ranger's hair.

"You didn't even wave at the orange and yellow fish right in front of us, Babe. I think he wants to be your friend."

This time, Stephanie held her breath without protest, actually looking forward to the third trip down. She knew she was safe with Ranger…and her new ocean friends.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

Trouble in Paradise

By Dayoh

Chapter Two

Stephanie moaned into the pillow as the sun radiated through the glass door of the private balcony, warming her face. With her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, she lifted her head off the pillow and peeked at Ranger. He was sleeping peacefully. Between the beach and dinner the prior evening, Stephanie and Ranger had _indulged_ in too many drinks. And now her head was pounding from the combination of too much sun and too much alcohol. She couldn't even remember what had happened after dinner, but she figured it was good because she didn't have a stitch of clothing on.

Crawling out of bed, Stephanie shuffled to the bathroom in search of an aspirin. She pulled open her jewelry bag and dug out a travel packet holding the wonder drug. Tearing open the package, she popped the aspirin in her mouth and filled a small paper cup with water from the faucet. Then she padded back to the bedroom, flopping back down on the bed, pulling the covers over her naked body. Ranger wasn't one to get drunk, but he'd kept his promise to indulge while on vacation. And now he seemed to be in a semi coma like state, softly snoring. Stephanie scooted close to Ranger, threw one leg over his hip and closed her eyes to think while the aspirin went to work.

Two hours later, Stephanie opened her eyes to find Ranger's side of the bed empty. But her nose told her that he was close, food in hand. She pulled herself into a sitting position and smiled lazily up at Ranger. He was wearing black Adidas Bermuda shorts and a white, sleeveless T-shirt. His hair was damp, and he wore a gold stud in his ear. Ranger didn't look hung-over at all. In fact, Ranger looked good enough to eat.

"You're too good to me."

Ranger passed a plate of deep fried, home style potatoes to Stephanie, along with a glass full of ice cold cola.

"This is as close to fast food as you're going to get at this resort."

"This is fine," Stephanie said, forking up a mouthful of the potatoes. "How come you're not suffering from a hang-over?"

"I feel it, believe me. I haven't indulged like that in a long time, Babe."

"What time did you get up?"

"About a half hour ago. I haven't slept past eleven a.m. since I was in college."

"Feels good doesn't it?"

Ranger nodded his head in the affirmative. "And speaking of feeling good," Ranger said, sitting next to Stephanie on the bed. "Your tongue did some heavy exploring last night, Babe. You're a freak when you're drunk."

Stephanie's froze with her fork half way to her lips. She gave Ranger a side glance and raised an eyebrow. "Do I really want to know the details?"

Ranger smiled a megawatt grin and said, "Not until you're done eating."

"Oh, my God, was I that bad?"

"Yes, and I loved it."

Stephanie narrowed her eyes. "So, you took complete advantage of my body while I was in a vulnerable state?"

"There was nothing vulnerable about your state last night."

Stephanie filled her mouth with potatoes and grinned sheepishly, thankful that she couldn't remember the details. Changing the subject, she asked Ranger, "What's on the agenda today?"

"Bus tour at one, and then the rest of the evening is ours. You up for it?"

Stephanie polished off her potatoes while nodding her head. "Give me thirty minutes to shower and get dressed."

The bus ride through the Mayan Ruins of Yucatan, Mexico was almost five hours long. A bus load of vacationers traveled one hour from Cancun to the Mayan Beach Garden. And then there was another hour of travel to the Chaccoben Ruins where everyone was allowed to get off the bus and tour the pyramids. And between the two tours, the bus driver stopped at a quaint, Mayan restaurant where the group enjoyed a mid-day meal. The weather was hot and the day was long, but Stephanie and Ranger enjoyed every minute of it. By the time they made it back to the hotel room, they had just enough time to shower and change for their dinner reservation.

At seven p.m. they strolled into the Bodizio, a Brazilian restaurant nestled inside the resort, not far from the main lobby. Ranger had reserved a table in advance, making sure they were scheduled for the first seating. Second seating was held between nine and ten-thirty p.m. for the guests preferring a late dinner. Stephanie had on a red V-neck, halter top sun dress with matching three inch, Michael Kor sandals. Her hair was swept off her neck in a sexy up-do. Ranger was wearing a button-down, short sleeve, grey shirt with a black blazer and dress pants. His smooth skin had darkened from their time on the beach, and Stephanie's sun kissed complexion now held an olive undertone. They were definitely an eye-catching couple, turning heads as soon as they walked into the restaurant.

One of those heads just happened to belong to the bronze skinned beauty who'd accosted Ranger at the beach. Serena's eyes followed Stephanie and Ranger as the maitre d led them to a small, dimly lit table, handing them two menus. Ranger didn't notice Serena's gaze, but Stephanie locked eyes with the woman almost immediately. Out of three main restaurants on the resort, they'd ended up and the same eatery as Serena. Stephanie did a mental eye roll and blew out a sigh as Ranger pulled out a chair for her.

"What, you don't like the seating arrangement?" Ranger asked, sitting across from Stephanie, his back to Serena.

"Your friend is here. She's on the other side of the restaurant."

Ranger looked at Stephanie with a raised eyebrow, clearly confused about who she was talking about. He'd already forgotten about Serena. "Who's my friend?"

"Serena."

Ranger laughed softly and picked up the menu. "Maybe I can get you drunk again, and then we'll invite Serena back to our room. I'll keep a watchful eye; make sure you two play nice with each other."

Stephanie gave Ranger a light kick under the table. "You have a dirty, dirty mind."

"I'll make the suggestion again, after you've had a few glasses of wine," Ranger teased, eyes scanning the wine list.

"Don't bother. I'm not going to drink myself into a stupor tonight."

Ranger smiled mischievously and signaled for the waiter. A middle-aged Caucasian man arrived at the table a few seconds later. "Good evening," the slender man said. "Would you like to start off the evening with a cocktail?"

"We'll try the Bouchain Pinot Noir," Ranger said to the waiter.

"Excellent choice, sir. I'll return in a few minutes with your wine and to take your order."

"You're the devil disguised as a sexy Cuban guy," Stephanie said after the waiter left the table.

A cocky smile twisted his lips. "I've been called worse, Babe."

Thirty minutes later, Stephanie and Ranger were elbows deep into a feast of steamed lobster coated in butter, grilled shrimp, tossed salad, and mashed potatoes. And, half the bottle of wine had magically disappeared. The restaurant was full of patrons who were drinking and eating and conversing loudly. But Stephanie and Ranger were in their own little bubble, enjoying each others company.

Ranger poured more wine into Stephanie's glass and she shook her head. "No more after this glass."

"That's very disappointing to hear. I was really looking forward to getting you drunk tonight."

Stephanie eyeballed Ranger's plate, licking her lips. "If you give me your last two shrimp, I'll give you a _sober_ repeat of last night."

"Deal," Ranger said, placing his shrimp on Stephanie's plate. "But, I still haven't shared the details of last night."

"Humor me."

Ranger topped off Stephanie's wine glass. "Drink up, Babe."

Stephanie opened her mouth to protest but stopped short, eyes glued on Serena's child bearing hips swaying towards their table. She was wearing a royal purple, strapless tube dress that fit her body like a glove. Her dark hair was slicked back into a tight bun which showed off the well-defined features of her face. Her breasts were round and perky; Stephanie guessed she could fill a D cup bra with no problem. And an ass that would make Jennifer Lopez run and hide trailed behind her.

Stephanie sighed inwardly. She was not in the mood for this shit.

Serena sauntered up to Stephanie and Ranger's table, giving Stephanie a dismissive glance. Then she fixed her eyes on Ranger. "How are you enjoying Cancun?"

Ranger's face was stoic as he looked up a Serena. He grabbed a napkin from his lap and wiped his mouth, taking his time before answering. Finally, he said, "I'm having a lovely time with my fiancé. Thank you for asking."

Stephanie's eyes traveled to Ranger in surprise. She'd almost forgotten the lie she'd told Serena yesterday. The corners of Ranger's mouth twitched lightly and he looked at Stephanie pointedly, throwing the ball in her court, hoping she would do the honors of getting rid of their pest. Stephanie sighed softly and offered Serena a tight smile, trying to maintain her composure. It really pissed her off that this seemingly desperate woman had the nerve to interrupting their meal, just to flirt with Ranger.

Serena returned the artificial smile, her eyes traveling to Stephanie's chest. Her smile suddenly turned into a smirk and she placed her hands on her hips. Sticking out her lips in a mocking pout, she said, "Oh, sweetie, you've dribbled butter down the front of your dress."

Stephanie looked down at her dress, and sure enough, there was a blob of melted butter resting on her boob.

_Shit_!

"Don't worry about it, Babe," Ranger said, jabbing back at Serena. "You won't be wearing the dress much longer. I'll make sure of that."

Serena threw her head back and belted out a dramatic laugh. "What a lucky lady," she said, eyes scanning Ranger's lap seductively. "You obviously have what it takes to please a woman."

A deep crimson hue spread across Stephanie's face and her blood simmered. Throwing a death glare in Serena's direction, she narrowed her eyes into slits.

"You have a lot of nerve," Stephanie hissed. "You think you can just sashay your _fat_ ass over here and disrespect me in front of my boyfriend?"

A hush spread throughout the restaurant, all eyes settling on Stephanie. But she was oblivious to the sudden onset of attention. The burning anger bubbling in her stomach was causing a severe case of tunnel vision. She focused her attention exclusively on Serena who was standing over her, smirking at the butter stain on her dress. And to make matters worse, Serena didn't seem to rile easily. She barely flinched at the 'fat ass' comment.

In an exaggerated move, Ranger glanced at his watch. "Look at the time. We should probably take off. They'll be seating for the nine-thirty crowd soon."

Ranger's words didn't penetrate Stephanie's ears. She sat motionless, eyes locked on her nemesis. And if Serena was in any way intimidated by the glare, she didn't show it. She held Stephanie's gaze, hands resting on her hips.

"Stephanie," Ranger said, moving from his seat. "Don't waist your time. She's not worth it."

This got Serena's attention. She snapped her head in Ranger's direction and glared at him as if she were devil possessed. "You have no idea what I'm worth, vato. But if you ever want to find out…"

In a heated rush, Stephanie stood to her feet, picked up her wine glass and threw the burgundy liquid in Serena's face before she could finish her sentence. And in a taunting voice, she said, "Oh, sweetie, you have wine all over your dress."

Astonished guests looked on as surprised gasps filled the room. There were a few chuckles mixed in, too. Serena stood like a statue, eyes bugged out of her head, mouth open in surprise. Wine dripped from her hair and face, soaking the front of her dress. Then, without warning, she suddenly screamed like a banshee and lunged at Stephanie, grabbing for her throat in hot, blind anger. Ranger moved swiftly, wedging his body between the two women as three waiters dashed to the rescue, apparently coming out of hiding to assist in the skirmish.

"I'll snap your neck like a twig, punta!" Serena spit out, punching her fists in Stephanie's direction, the waiters holding her firmly in place.

Ranger grabbed Stephanie by the waist and pulled her towards the front of the restaurant while she yelled, "Bring it, bitch! I'll wedge my foot so far up your fat ass!" She tried to wrestle her way out of Ranger's arms to prove her point, but she couldn't get away from him. Stephanie was no match for Ranger's strength, not even pumped up on a dose of rage. Ranger smiled wide, locked Stephanie in a bear hug and carried her out of the restaurant, kicking her feet, daring Serena to meet her outside.

He carried her all the way to the elevator as Serena yelled profanities their way. Placing Stephanie on her feet, Ranger pushed the up arrow and glanced over his shoulder, making sure Serena wasn't hot on their heels, but she was no where to be seen. He assumed the waiter's were tossing her out the back door right about now. She had clearly been the instigator in the confrontation, interrupting their meal to garner attention.

"Shit!" Stephanie huffed in a frustrated breath as the doors of the elevator opened. She wiped the sweat of her brow and arranged her dress, straightening the material twisted around her body.

Resting his hand on the small of her back, Ranger guided her inside. "Are you okay?"

"No! I'm not okay," Stephanie said, panting like a dog. "I just made a complete fool of myself. I don't know why I let a complete stranger get to me like that. And I'm missing a shoe!"

Ranger glanced down at Stephanie's shoeless foot. "That must have happened when I picked you up. I'll come back down for your shoe later."

Ranger looked at Stephanie and smiled. "You were in total kick-ass mode. I'm proud of you, Babe."

Stephanie narrowed her eyes in anger, but Ranger couldn't see the death glare. The up-do she'd been wearing had fallen out of its hold and curls were dangling in her face, covering her eyes. Ranger gently pushed a couple of curls away from her forehead and smiled even wider.

"Don't look at me in that tone voice. I'm not puffing out my chest because two chicks were fighting over me. I'm just proud that you stuck up for yourself."

"I didn't embarrass you, did I?" Stephanie asked, her face softening a bit.

"Not at all," Ranger said around a grin. "Girl fights turn me on."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "I could have taken her down."

"I know you could have taken her down," Ranger agreed. "But she wouldn't have been worth the effort."

The elevator opened to the tenth floor and Ranger hooked his arm around Stephanie's neck, tugging her down the hall. Stephanie, walking with an uneven gate, stopped halfway to their room and took off the lone shoe. "I really want my shoe back."

"I'll go back down in an hour or so to get your shoe," Ranger said as they reached the door to their room.

Just as he pulled the access key out of his coat pocket, a tall, thin Hispanic male employee, who looked to be in his early thirties, walked down the hall in their direction with Stephanie's shoe dangling from his hand. His name tag said he was an assistant manager and his name was Pedro

"Hola," Pedro said with a smile, passing the shoe to Stephanie. "I was told this belongs to you."

"Yep, that's my shoe. You're not here to throw us out, are you?"

The assistant manager shook his head emphatically. "Oh, no, senorita. Serena is always in the middle of some kind of disagreement with our patrons. I watched her pick a fight with a senior citizen last week. She's out of control. The waiter's were actually glad to have a reason to throw her out. We all hate to deal with Serena. She's a real Prima Donna."

"She's a regular here?" Ranger inquired.

Pedro nodded his head and rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately, she's a close acquaintance with the owner of this resort, so she thinks she owns the place because she gets free room and board whenever she vacations in Cancun. She always comes by herself, doesn't seem to have any friends."

Ranger and Stephanie shared a knowing look. That certainly explained Serena's aggressive demeanor, and need for attention. She carried a false sense of entitlement on her shoulders because of her connections. Once she set her sights on Ranger, she'd expected immediate reciprocation. And when that didn't happen, she decided to take it out on the girlfriend.

Pedro focused his attention on Stephanie. "Do you and Serena have some kind of history?"

"No, I met her yesterday on the beach. It seems she's taken a strong liking to my boyfriend."

Pedro nodded his head in understanding, glancing at Ranger. "Yeah, Serena seems to always want what doesn't belong to her. If she causes you anymore problems, let me know."

Ranger reached into his pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill. "Thank you for the shoe and the information."

Pedro pocketed the money, smiled at Stephanie and Ranger, and sauntered down the hall whistling a Coldplay tune. Ranger slid the access key in front of the sensor on the door and pushed it open, ushering Stephanie into the hotel room.

Are you sure you're okay, Babe?"

"I'll be fine, Stephanie said, throwing the shoes on the floor. I could really use that glass of wine I wasted on Serena's dress."

"Yeah, Serena ruined my plans for the night," Ranger said teasingly.

Stephanie raised an eyebrow and looked at Ranger. "You know, Serena might have done you a favor, because I now have all this built up aggression I need to get out. So, tell me about my tongue exploration last night."

Ranger studied Stephanie for a beat, a reminiscent look on his face, as if recalling the experience. "Maybe I'll show you instead."

"You know what I think?" Stephanie mused, cocking her head. "I think you're trying to trick me into doing some kind of freaky sex act with you."

Ranger, pretending to be offended by Stephanie's declaration, said in a sarcastic manner, "Babe, do you think I'd really do that?"

"Yes!"

Ranger laughed softly, pulling off his jacket. "You know me too well."

Stephanie pulled the red dress over her head and stood in the middle of the room, wearing a red thong and a smile.

"So," she said, looking at Ranger impishly. "What are you going to show me?"

Ranger's eyes seemed to burn through her skin as he closed the distance between them. Cradling Stephanie's face in his hands, his mouth covered her soft lips and he gave her a deep kiss, pushing his tongue inside her mouth. Stephanie leaned into Ranger's body, cupped the back of his neck, and deepened the kiss, caressing his tongue with hers.

After a couple of minutes, Ranger pulled away and covered Stephanie's breasts with the palms of his hands, rubbing his thumbs over the erect nipples. Then he looked at Stephanie with an intense gaze. "I want you down on your hands and knees," he said in a soft voice.

Hooking his thumbs under Stephanie's thong, Ranger pulled the thin material down over her hips. "And I want your ass in the air."

Oh, boy.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N **

**Thank you all for your kind reviews and constructive feedback. I'm so glad you are enjoying the story.**

Trouble in Paradise

By Dayoh

Chapter Three

A mild morning breeze blew through the open door of the private patio, tickling Stephanie's face. She opened her eyes to see the curtains moving gently as they danced in the wind. Lifting her head from the pillow, Stephanie squinted at the clock on the nightstand; it was a few minutes past ten a.m. The sound of running water coming from the bathroom explained the vacant spot where Ranger should have been. Stephanie smiled lazily into the pillow, her mind traveling back to last night.

Ranger had been on top of his game, trying his best to make Stephanie forget about the confrontation with Serena. And by the time they'd moved into the second hour of intense lovemaking, she'd barely remembered her own name. Stephanie had never been a huge fan of the sixty-nine position because the alignment always made her feel a tad bit self-conscious, but Ranger had a way of making the most awkward sex act seem normal and exciting. The man knew how to use his tongue to provide pleasure, and in Ranger's book, there was no such thing as an awkward sex position.

Ranger padded out of the bathroom as if Stephanie's inner thoughts had conjured him up. He had a fluffy, white towel slung low around his narrow hips, and he looked down at Stephanie, wearing a smug grin. "You look a little worn out, Babe."

"I was tempted to join you in the shower," Stephanie said, raising her head from the pillow. Her eyes traced a path from Ranger's face down to the six-pack chiseled in his stomach. "But I couldn't persuade my body to move."

Ranger raised an eyebrow and removed the towel from around his waist, letting it fall to the floor.

"I could persuade your body to move," he said playfully. "But, we'll have to save it for later, we have a full day scheduled." Ranger stepped into a pair of jeans and winked at Stephanie.

"You're a big tease," Stephanie said, throwing the comforter off her body. "What's on the agenda today?"

Ranger pulled a black muscle shirt over his head. "You wanted to go horseback riding, so that's what we'll be doing today. The shuttle leaves the resort at noon, and the horse riding tour starts in the city of Playa Del Carmen at one-thirty."

"We'll have time to eat before we leave, right?"

"That's up to you. You're moving slow this morning."

"Yeah, well, everyone can't be like you, Mr. Energizer Bunny."

Ranger flashed Stephanie a knowing smile. "Good sex is like a good workout, Babe. You know you've done it right when you feel it in your muscles the next day."

Stephanie threw a smile back at Ranger and walked bowlegged to the bathroom. "We might have picked the wrong day for horseback riding."

***

Despite their sore muscles, Stephanie and Ranger enjoyed every moment of the horseback riding excursion. They rode along a five mile trail surrounding the tranquil waters of the Playa Paraiso Beach, not far from Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. The trip lasted four hours and included a stop at a beachfront restaurant for a mid-day feast of fresh seafood and potent alcohol concoctions.

By the time the shuttle bus made it back to the Royal Palace at six-thirty p.m., the scene in front of the hotel was far from peaceful. There were two Cancun Police Department cruisers, two news vans, and a throng of curious spectators scattered in front of the resort. Stephanie and Ranger trailed behind a group of vacationer's as they stepped off the bus, eyes scanning the disorder.

"What's going on?" Stephanie asked an elderly couple coming out of the hotel with grim faces.

"Not much now," the woman said. "You should have been here a couple of hours ago. The place was on lock-down, police and emergency vehicles everywhere. They wouldn't let anyone leave or enter the building."

"Why?" Ranger asked.

"No one will tell us," the man chimed in resentfully. "Word is flying around that a guest was found dead, but no one on staff will give us the specific details of the death. The manager said an official statement will be released to all the guests before the night is over, but the reporters will probably beat them to it. They've been sitting in those vans for three hours straight."

The couple shuffled away and Stephanie looked towards the lobby, catching a glimpse of Pedro, the assistant manager, standing just inside the front door. He was talking to a female desk clerk, his hand resting on her shoulder in a comforting manner. Pedro locked eyes with Stephanie, ducked his head, and quickly turned the other way. He touched the woman's arm and walked away in a rush, as if trying to get away before Stephanie and Ranger entered the lobby. Stephanie thought it was an odd reaction, seeing as how he'd been so friendly and forthcoming when he'd delivered her shoe the prior evening.

She glanced at Ranger to see if he'd noticed Pedro's reaction, but his eyes were glued on four police officers who were standing in front of the check-in desk. Two officers were chatting with a couple of staff members while the other two were scanning the throng of people that had just stepped off the shuttle bus. They were clearly looking for someone in the crowd.

"This doesn't look good, Babe."

They stepped into the lobby and Ranger took Stephanie by the hand as they walked towards the elevator. As they passed the front desk, the two cops scanning the crowd pointed in their direction, alerting the other two men who were chatting away. Suddenly, eight sets of eyes zeroed in on Stephanie and Ranger, and the police officers walked briskly in their direction. Tightening her grip on Ranger's hand, Stephanie felt her bladder go weak.

"Stay calm," Ranger said under his breath.

"Excuse me," a police officer called out to them in broken English. "May we have a word?"

Stephanie didn't bother to answer the question. Her voice would surely betray the calm demeanor she was trying to maintain.

"How can we help you, Officer…Ortega," Ranger asked, reading the man's name tag.

The short, stocky Mexican man stopped directly in front of Stephanie and Ranger, his hand secured around his holstered gun. The three remaining officers fanned out into a semi circle around them, silently watching for any unexpected move. Ranger tightened his grip on Stephanie's hand and she closed the distance between them, planting her body securely behind his.

"There's been an incident at the resort," Officer Ortega said in a tight voice. "We'd like to ask you a few questions."

A lobby full of bystanders quietly watched the scene unfold, along with a few staff members, as if waiting for some kind of showdown.

In a calm voice, Ranger asked, "And what does that _incident_ have to do with us?"

The four officers tightened the circle around Stephanie and Ranger, apparently preparing for a show of resistance, even though Stephanie and Ranger were clueless as to what was going on.

Officer Ortega offered Ranger a polite smile while his hand remained on the handle of his gun. "I understand that there was an altercation between Ms. Plum and the woman involved in the…incident." He pointed to Stephanie to emphasize his point. "I would like to get her account of the story, as well as your account as a witness."

Ranger narrowed his eyes in concern. "We don't have to speak to you without legal representation. So, if you want us to corporate, we'll need to know the precise details of this incident."

Officer Ortega studied Ranger intently, and then he lowered his voice, speaking barely above a whisper. "We are investigating a homicide, and I need to ask a few routine questions."

Stephanie's eyes widened in surprised and she felt her stomach do a flip flop. Ranger tightened his grip on her hand to keep her steady, but he didn't react to the news. He wasn't one to get all emotional under duress.

After a moment of silent contemplation, Ranger finally said, "Can we do this without the audience?"

"Yes," Officer Ortega said, relaxing his stance, seemingly relieved that he wouldn't have to shoot anyone. The other three officers held fast to their rigid stance, hands secured on their guns. Ranger could be a little intimidating.

"Let's go to the business office, we'll have more privacy there."

Officer Ortega led the way to the business office as Stephanie and Ranger followed. Not to be left out, the Three Stooges diligently trailed behind them, trying to look official.

When they all reached the front door of the office, Officer Ortega looked pointedly at Ranger. "I'll need to conduct separate interviews."

"I know how it works," Ranger retorted, completely annoyed with the situation.

Then he turned to Stephanie and nodded his head in a comforting gesture, letting go of her hand. He didn't want Ortega to think they were trying to hatch a story, so he remained quiet. They had nothing to hide. A tight smile was plastered across Stephanie's face as she followed Ortega into the business office. The other three officers stayed behind to keep an eye on Ranger.

The resort's business office housed two desk top computers, a fax machine, and a large copier. There were four chairs surrounding a worn, wooden table, and Officer Ortega pulled one out for Stephanie. She sat down numbly, wondering what in the hell had happened to Serena. There was certainly no love lost for the woman, but Stephanie hadn't wished death on her.

Officer Ortega took a seat across from Stephanie. "So, Stephanie Plum's your real name?"

Stephanie nodded her head slowly, studying the officer's demeanor, wondering what he was thinking. Did he really think that she had killed a woman and then sauntered off to go horseback riding on the beach? She presumed the man had probably seen it all, especially with the kind of work he had to do every day. As a bounty hunter, she'd encountered plenty of criminals who'd been coldhearted killers, and she couldn't imagine anyone putting her in the same category as those monsters. But, Ortega didn't know her from the man on the moon, so he had to assume she was capable of just about anything, at least until she was cleared as a suspect.

"Ms. Plum," Officer Ortega said. "I will get straight to the point, as not to waist precious time. A few eye-witnesses have informed me that you had an altercation with a woman last evening. That woman was Serena Perez, and she was found dead in her hotel room this afternoon. Her death has been ruled a homicide."

Stephanie tried to remain calm but she was absentmindedly rubbing her damp palms over her jeans, and sweat was breaking out under her arms and on her forehead. She heard loud bells clanging in her ears as she groaned inwardly. This couldn't be happening, not here, not now.

In a quiet voice, she said, "Yes, Serena and I had a confrontation last night."

"Did you know Serena Perez?"

"I met Serena yesterday on the beach. That was the first time I'd ever laid eyes on her."

"Can you tell me what happened between you and Serena?" Officer Ortega asked.

Stephanie gave Ortega a detailed synopsis, starting from the time she'd first met Serena on the beach, right up to their altercation. By the time she got to the part of the story where she'd thrown the wine in Serena's face, her voice had grown stronger. The woman's audacity still pissed her off, even though someone had given Serena an overdose of her own medicine.

"So, Ms. Plum, what happened after the altercation?"

"Carlos escorted me back to our room, and Pedro, the assistant manager, met us in the hallway with my shoe. It had come off when Carlos pulled me out of the restaurant. We talked to him for a while, and then we retired for the night."

Because the fine points of her evening with Ranger had no bearing on the investigation, Stephanie was not about to give the officer specific details on what happened after they'd retired for the night.

"That's it?" Ortega asked disbelievingly. "Neither one of you left the hotel room after that?"

"No. We stayed in for the rest of the evening."

Officer Ortega studied Stephanie for a long moment, and Stephanie locked eyes with the man, matching his gaze. She knew better than to get all shifty eyed now. She was telling the truth, after all.

"What about your…friend? Did he leave the room at any time during the night?"

"Carlos is my boyfriend; he was with me the whole night."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive."

"Are you a deep sleeper, Ms. Plum?"

Stephanie knew where the man was going with his line of questioning. He was working the angle that one of them could have slipped out of bed while the other was sleeping and killed Serena. But Stephanie knew better.

"Actually, I'm a light sleeper."

"What about your boyfriend? Is he a light sleeper as well?"

"If a mouse farts, my boyfriend will wake up."

This made Officer Ortega smile. At least he had a sense of humor.

"What time did you wake up this morning, Ms. Plum?"

"A little after ten."

"And then what did you do?"

I took a shower, got dressed, and then had breakfast with Carlos. We left the resort via the shuttle bus around noon."

Another moment of silence passed as the officer appeared to be in deep thought. He seemed to be out of questions and Stephanie took that as a good sign.

After a few quiet moments, Officer Ortega huffed out a sigh and asked, "When will your vacation be ending, Ms. Plum?"

"We'll be leaving Sunday, mid morning. If there is anything else I can help you with, you know where to find me."

The man nodded his head, standing to his feet. "I'll speak with Mr. Manoso now. Thank you for your cooperation."

Stephanie waited forty minutes while Ranger was being questioned by Ortega, and she was relieved when he finally walked out of the room without a police escort.

"Can we go now?"

Ranger nodded his head and took her by the hand. They rode to the tenth floor in silence, lost in their own thoughts.

"What in the hell is going on?" Stephanie asked when they were finally behind closed doors.

Ranger glanced around the room, wondering if the cops had made an illegal search of their property.

"Don't' worry," he said. "If they had any real evidence that one of us was responsible for Serena's death, we'd be in custody right now."

"Shit!" Stephanie said, flopping down on the sofa. "Why did I lose my temper with that woman? I swear, wherever I go trouble seems to follow."

Ranger sat down next to Stephanie, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Babe, you couldn't have guessed the outcome. According to Pedro, Serena had her share of enemies. I think the police have their work cut out for them."

"Speaking of Pedro, did you see the way he tried to avoid me when we were walking into the lobby?"

"I missed that," Ranger said.

"He actually ducked his head and walked the other way."

Ranger was quiet for a beat, thinking about Pedro's reaction. Then he said, "You know, thinking about it now, Pedro made sure we were informed on how the staff felt about Serena."

"Conveniently forthcoming," Stephanie pointed out. "Maybe he was nervous about what he'd told us, seeing as how Serena ended up dead. His comments would probably put him under suspicion, too, especially if he'd voiced his opinion to other people."

"Did you tell Officer Ortega about the conversation we had with Pedro?" Ranger asked Stephanie.

"I told him that Pedro returned my shoe and we talked for a while, but I didn't give him specific details about the conversation. What about you?"

"I basically said what you said, almost verbatim."

Ranger relaxed into the couch and quietly reflected on their conversation with Pedro. Stephanie curled her body into his side and watched him closely.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Pedro's motivation," Ranger answered absorbedly. "I'm starting to believe that his willingness to share information about Serena was a calculated move."

Stephanie let the idea marinate for a long moment. "He could have had someone from housekeeping return the shoe."

"Exactly," Ranger agreed. "I didn't think about it at the time, but the whole conversation was inappropriate coming from someone in a management position. Something's off about Pedro, and if he's somehow involved you in Serena's murder, he's going to have to answer to me."

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

Trouble in Paradise

By Dayoh

Chapter Four

Thursday morning ushered in an overcast sky, the clouds resting over the resort like a thick blanket. Stephanie awoke to the sound of the television in the next to room, and Ranger was absent from his spot in the bed. They'd left the sliding glass door open all night, as they had every night, and Stephanie could smell the dampness in the air. She guessed they wouldn't be spending much time on the beach today. Pulling herself up into a sitting position, she wiped the sleep from her eyes and tumbled out of bed.

"Yo," she said to Ranger, padding to the bathroom.

Watching CNN, hoping to get more information on Serena's murder, Ranger pulled his eyes away from the television screen and glanced at Stephanie.

"Yo, Sleeping Beauty."

"Have you heard any updated news on the murder?"

"No," Ranger said, picking up the remote and turning off the television. "The local authorities probably know much more than they're willing to share with the public."

There had not been one report about Serena's murder on the national news last night. And a local station had only offered a quick mention of the crime, adding the standard line about the investigation being ongoing. The local authorities had claimed they didn't want to hinder the investigation by releasing specific details about the case, but they'd assured the public that the killing had been an isolated incident.

Truth be told, a murder at a popular resort was not going to make national headlines, especially if the victim was a local citizen. The Mexican government was engulfed in enough negative attention as it was, and tourism in the country had declined because of bad publicity.

Stephanie stopped at the bathroom door and leaned against the door jam. "Do you think the local authorities probably know who killed Serena, and they're just going through the necessary protocol for the sake of public opinion?"

Ranger nodded his head. "That's exactly what I think, and I don't want to see your name pop up in the news as a suspect."

Stephanie stared at Ranger for a beat as a chill ran down her spine. "Maybe we should end our vacation early."

"There's no reason to leave Mexico right now," Ranger replied. "I would like to know how Serena was killed, though. This resort is packed to capacity; it would be hard for someone to get in and out of her room completely unnoticed. The murderer had to be someone she was acquainted with, someone who had access to her room. The crime was definitely an inside job."

"The authorities are complete idiots if they haven't guessed that by now," Stephanie said incredulously.

"I doubt they're idiots, but, there are a lot of corrupt individuals mixed up in the Mexican government, police departments included. Just so I know what we're dealing with here, I asked Tank to run an extensive background search on Serena."

"What about Pedro?" Stephanie asked.

"I don't know Pedro's last name."

"Damn, this is just peachy. We are supposed to be enjoying a nice vacation and you're investigating a murder."

Ranger gave Stephanie a hint of a smile and stood from the sofa. "We've had a good time so far. This is just a small kink in our plans."

"A murder is not a kink; it's a huge depression in someone's life," Stephan argued, slipping out of her tank top and cotton shorts. "I keep thinking about Serena's family. There is someone out there who has lost a daughter or maybe a sibling."

Ranger sauntered into the bathroom behind Stephanie and turned on the shower, running his hand under the streaming water, checking the temperature. Then he turned to Stephanie and glanced at her naked figure.

"Give me twenty minutes, I'll make you forget all about Serena, I promise."

Stephanie glanced down at the silk boxers resting low on Ranger's hips and smiled.

"You think sex is the answer to everything."

"Is it not?"

"No. Sometimes a good Tastykake holds the answer for me. Eating a Tastykake is like gazing into a crystal ball."

"Then lets pretend _this_ is a Butterscotch Krimpet," Ranger said, looking down at the bulge in his boxers, a smug grin on his face.

****

After a late continental breakfast at La Mision inside the resort, Stephanie and Ranger decided to take a stroll along the beachfront strip before the rain moved in. The strip, a long stretch of land set up like an upscale flea market, housed curbside vendors, storefront retailers, and ethnic restaurants. The area was swarming with tourists who were searching for the best deals on clothes, jewelry and accessories. Anything that could be neatly packed into a travel case was being sold along the strip.

Stephanie was practically drooling at the sights and sounds of the market place. Ranger, on the other hand, was ready to leave before he'd even set foot in the first store. Shopping wasn't his thing but he had to take one for the team. There was a killer running loose in the area, and Ranger wasn't going to send Stephanie out on a shopping spree alone.

Their first stop was a small, crowded storefront selling hats and other accessories.

Ranger made his way to the far corner of the store, his eyes scanning the various baseball caps hanging from plastic hooks on the wall. Stephanie stood behind him, glancing in another direction, admiring a row of colorful scarves dangling from coat hangers.

"I see a scarf that Grandma might like, I'll be right back."

Ranger kept his eyes glued on the baseball caps and grabbed Stephanie's hand. "I'll come with you. Just give me a few minutes to find a couple of hats."

"Are you kidding me?" Stephanie asked, pointing a stiff finger in the direction of the scarves. "I'll be right over there. You can see me from here."

Ranger cut his eyes to Stephanie but didn't say a word. He tightened his grip on her hand and continued to search the wall of engraved caps.

"Hello! Are you ignoring me?" Stephanie's voice was an octave higher and full of irritation.

"Babe."

Ranger walked towards a couple of blue and white caps on the wall, pulling them of the hooks. After carefully inspecting the hats, he glanced at Stephanie. "Now we can go find a scarf for Grandma Mazur."

"I can't shop with you," Stephanie said, rolling her eyes at Ranger. "You're an annoying shopper."

With an amused look on his face, Ranger escorted Stephanie to a rack full of multi-colored, silk scarves.

"I'm not an annoying shopper," he said quietly. "I'm a concerned boyfriend. There was a woman murdered in our hotel, remember?"

Stephanie huffed out a sigh, eyes scanning the scarves. "I don't think I'll forget anytime soon, but what does that have to do with me shopping on my own?"

Ranger gave Stephanie a side glance and shook his head disbelievingly, not bothering to answer the question. Pulling a cell phone out of the back pocket of his camouflaged, extra-long cargo shorts, he pushed a few buttons while Stephanie shopped for a scarf.

In all honesty, Stephanie knew exactly why Ranger was being over protective, and she was grateful that he had her back. But, the fact that she might have somehow gotten mixed up in a murder while on vacation made her stomach turn, so denial was her closest friend right now.

"What about this one?" Stephanie asked Ranger, lifting a vibrant, peach and tan scarf off the hanger. "I think Grandma will love the colors."

"Sure," Ranger said, navigating through his iPhone with one hand while holding the baseball caps in the other.

Looking over her shoulder, Stephanie spotted a horrendous, lime green scarf adorned with blue flowers. She snatched the scarf off its hanger and held it in front of Ranger's face. "This is beautiful! You think Grandma will like it?"

Ranger didn't bother to look up from his iPhone. "She'll love it."

Stephanie narrowed her eyes and wrapped the ugly scarf around Ranger's neck, playfully threatening to choke him.

"This scarf is atrocious, even on you."

Ranger looked at Stephanie with a hint of a smile on his face and slipped the iPhone back into his pocket. Then he looked down at the scarf around his neck and said, "Grandma Mazur would love this scarf. The flowers match her hair."

Rolling her eyes to the top of her head, Stephanie pulled the ugly scarf from around Ranger's neck. "I'll get the peach and tan one. Thanks for the help."

"Great choice, Babe, let's go check out."

Ten minutes later, Stephanie and Ranger stepped out of the store and ran into the young bellhop who'd helped them with their bags on the first day they'd arrived at the resort.

A smile broke across his face when he recognized them. "Hola!"

"Hola," Stephanie and Ranger returned.

"I see that you two are braving the storm, so to speak," the baby faced teenager said in broken English. "Many people have decided to leave the area after what happened yesterday."

"They're wimps," Stephanie joked.

The youngster threw his head back and laughed out loud, as if he were attending a comedy show.

Ranger looked at Stephanie, lips twitching, twinkle in his eye. He was going to give the kid an impromptu interview; Stephanie could see it in his face.

"We didn't get your name the other day," he said to the teenager in a friendly manner.

"Augusto," the bellhop said, offering his hand to Ranger.

Ranger shook Augusto's hand. "I'm Carlos, and this is my girlfriend, Stephanie."

If Augusto had any knowledge of Stephanie's run in with the murder victim, he wasn't letting on. Smiling politely, he said, "I hope you two are enjoying Cancun, despite the unexpected drama. You know, the Royal Palace has never had to deal with this kind of tragedy."

"Have you heard any details about the murder?" Ranger asked Augusto.

Augusto eyeballed the crowd around him suspiciously, as if he were scared to get caught talking about the event. "Well, I'm not really supposed to discuss it," he whispered. "But, word on the street is the woman who was killed might have been involved in some kind of illegal activities with a drug cartel."

"Who found the body?" Stephanie asked.

"Someone in housekeeping found her body in the bathtub; throat slashed from ear to ear, blood everywhere. I heard the maid was so traumatized, she quite the same day. And the police still have the twelfth floor cordoned off. No one is supposed to go near that room."

Augusto took a breath and shook his head sympathetically. "That's some crazy shit, right?"

Stephanie nodded her head in agreement, swallowing the bitter taste of bile rising in her throat. And though Ranger didn't flinch at Augusto's description of the murder, Stephanie noticed the tight lines around his mouth.

"Have you been questioned by the authorities?" he asked Augusto.

Augusto shook his head. "No, not yet. I was off on the day it happened, so I don't think I could give them much information. Plus, I'm new to the resort, just started a couple of weeks ago. I didn't know the woman like the rest of the staff knew her."

The boy seemed eager to gossip with anyone who would listen, so Ranger pressed on. "Any word on a suspect?"

"Oh, hell yeah! Supposedly, the cops have a prime suspect but they're keeping that information private for now. We're all walking around on pins and needles, wondering if the killer works at the Royal Palace."

"From what we've been told, nobody liked the lady," Stephanie piped in. "I'm surprised they've already narrowed down a suspect."

"Yeah, I was surprised, too," Augusto said. "I guess she gave everyone a hard time, except for Pedro."

Stephanie raised an eyebrow but didn't look at Ranger. She didn't want to spook Augusto into silence. He was on a roll.

"Oh, you mean Pedro…what's his face," Stephanie said, pretending she couldn't remember Pedro's last name.

"Yeah, Pedro Cortez," Augusto revealed. "He's only been at the Royal Palace for a few months now, but he always had nice things to say about the victim, even when everyone else complained about her bitchy attitude."

"Really?" Ranger said, obviously perplexed with Augusto's information.

"Yeah," Augusto said, nodding his head vigorously. Then he looked around, eyes scanning his surroundings, making sure he was not being seen or heard by a fellow employee. He leaned into Stephanie and Ranger's space and whispered, "I've heard that he would visit her room occasionally. Housekeeping notices everything, you know."

Stephanie lowered her voice into a whisper, matching Augusto's demeanor. "You think there was something going on between the two of them?"

Augusto shrugged his shoulders dramatically and said, "I really haven't been around long enough to know."

Then he looked down at his watch and glanced past Stephanie and Ranger, staring into the store. "I have to clock in soon, I better get going. I'll see you guys around, right?"

"Sure," Stephanie said. "We'll be here until Sunday."

"Cool."

Once they were back on the strip, Stephanie turned to Ranger, thinking out loud.

"When Pedro was talking to us about Serena, he acted as if he hated her along with everyone else. And now Augusto tells us that Pedro only had good things to say about her. What's that all about?"

Ranger pulled his iPhone out of his pocket again and pushed a button. "I don't know, but I believe Augusto's account of the relationship between Serena and Pedro. For some reason, Pedro was trying to make us believe he didn't like Serena."

Someone on the other end of the phone picked up and Ranger said, "Yo, Tank, I need an extensive background search on a Pedro Cortez in Mexico. He'll probably have a work history in hotel management."

Ranger listened intently while Tank talked for a while, his face showing no emotion.

"Send the picture to my phone," he said after a couple of minutes. "And call me back as soon as you find anything on Pedro."

Disconnecting the line, he grabbed Stephanie's hand and walked briskly to their next destination.

"Did Tank find any information on Serena?" Stephanie asked, trying to keep up with Ranger's long strides.

Ranger nodded his head, walking in the direction of a small diner a couple of blocks down the strip, its sign advertising a special discount on milk shakes.

"Let's find a more private setting to discuss what he found."

Inside the restaurant, Stephanie found a cozy corner table in the back of the quaint eatery while Ranger put in an order at the front counter. Still full from a late breakfast, he sauntered back to the table with a cup of coffee for himself and a chocolate milkshake for Stephanie.

"Tank found an arrest record on Serena that was a mile long," Ranger said quietly, sitting next to Stephanie at the table. "It seems her specialty was writing fraudulent checks and smuggling drugs across the border."

"So, she was a drug mule," Stephanie clarified. "But how can you be sure she's the same woman who's been murdered?"

Ranger pulled up a picture on his iPhone and held the screen up for Stephanie to see.

"The woman in this mug shot is the same woman we know as Serena."

Stephanie studied Serena's mug shot closely. The Latina woman staring blankly into the camera lens was a stripped down version of the self-appointed, hip-swaying diva who'd sauntered up to their dinner table just two days ago, demanding attention. But it was Serena all the same. All the high and mighty posturing had been an act. Serena was nothing more than a two-bit criminal, someone who would do anything to feel important. But in the end, all the negative attention had led her down a path to an inevitable death, her name only mentioned in passing.

Taking a sip of the milkshake through a straw, Stephanie swallowed the chocolate cream and said, "So, the drug cartel angle might be more truth than rumor."

Ranger nodded his head and put his phone back into his pocket. "And if the cartel angle is true, there's a good chance that someone within that gang is responsible for Serena's death." He stared at Stephanie for a long moment, letting the information sink in.

"But…you said someone from the inside probably killed Serena."

Ranger didn't say a word; he just watched Stephanie's eyes grow wide as the light bulb clicked on in her head.

"Shit! That means someone working at the resort is probably involved in a drug cartel."

"That would be my guess," Ranger said flatly. "What's more, I believe it was more than just a coincidence that Serena was murdered within few hours of your confrontation with her."

Stephanie grabbed her milkshake with a trembling hand, took the lid off and chugged the smooth, liquefied mixture, hoping the ice cold tonic would numb her senses. But in reality, there was not enough comfort food in the world to sooth the dread clawing at the lining of her stomach.

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

Trouble in Paradise

By Dayoh

Chapter Five

As promised by the ominous clouds hovering over the city, the rain started to pour just as Stephanie and Ranger returned to the Royal Palace. Over a two hour period, Stephanie had dragged Ranger through five souvenir shops and one restaurant before deciding to beat the rain back to the resort. Padding into the lobby, Ranger carried two of three bags full of clothes and souvenirs as Stephanie followed behind him with the third bag.

Very few people were hanging out in the lobby, but laughter could be heard spilling from the bar. The damp weather had forced the vacationer's inside to drink and socialize and pass time.

"We should come back down for a drink after we put the bags in the room," Ranger said, sauntering to the elevator. "After a two hour shopping spree, I could use a cold beer."

Stephanie chuckled at Ranger's confession. "You're a lightweight. Two hours of shopping is nothing. If I'd had more room in my suitcase, we'd still be on the hunt."

Ranger glanced over his shoulder to reply but his eyes traveled beyond Stephanie and his gaze turned cold. Wondering who the beneficiary of Ranger's icy stare was, she turned to find Pedro, the assistant manager, walking in their direction.

Pedro eased up behind Stephanie, peering down at the bag in her hand. "I see you two made it back just in time," he said, looking directly at Stephanie, avoiding Ranger's glare. "It's pouring out there."

"Yep," Stephanie replied flatly. She didn't know what else to say. Twenty four hours ago, Pedro had practically sprinted away from her, and now he was in a sociable mood, chatting away like an old friend.

Ranger continued to stare at the man without a word of acknowledgement. He wasn't in the mood to socialize with Pedro Cortez.

A few awkward seconds ticked by, and then Pedro locked eyes with Ranger and quickly looked away, glancing at Stephanie again. She was far less intimidating to look at.

With an exaggerated sigh, he said, "Officer Ortega is in the business office. He would like to speak with both of you."

Stephanie pulled in a deep, frustrated breath and blew it out forcefully. "What now?"

Pedro glanced at the front door of the business office and then back at Stephanie. "I'll let Officer Ortega explain."

Stephanie and Ranger reluctantly followed Pedro to the office, shopping bags in tow. Sitting at the table, writing in a notebook, Officer Ortega dropped his pen and stood to his feet when they entered the room. It was evident by the well-defined, dark circles under his eyes that he'd had a couple of long days and restless nights.

"Stephanie, Carlos, please have a seat," he said, pointing at the chairs.

"No thanks," Ranger said bluntly. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the police officer. Stephanie moved closer to Ranger, touching his arm lightly, silently imploring him to calm him down. Whether they liked it or not, Officer Ortega was in control right now.

"Do as you like," Ortega said, cutting his eye to Ranger. Getting straight to the point, he said, "Our investigation into Serena's death is still ongoing, and it is standard procedure to commandeer the passport of any person who might be a suspect, accessory or witness in an investigation."

"Please don't patronize us, Officer Ortega," Ranger said in an even voice. "You're telling us that we have to relinquish our passports while you investigate Serena's murder."

"Yes, that's what I'm saying. You, Mr. Manoso, are a first hand witness to an altercation between Ms. Plum and Serena. And until we clear Ms. Plum as a suspect in Serena's murder, we can't let either one of you leave Mexico."

Stephanie stood like a statue, suspended in a state of disbelief as small dots danced in front of her eyes. Her body swayed like a drunk and Ranger grabbed her by the waist, escorting her to the closest chair. Without a word, he gently pushed her head down between her knees, and she felt the heated energy radiating from his body, enough to melt an ice sculpture. While Stephanie recovered, Ranger placed his full attention back to Officer Ortega, resting his hands on his hips.

"Let's cut through all the bull shit," he said through clinched teeth. "If you had _any_ proof that Stephanie killed Serena you'd have her in custody."

"Mr. Manoso," Ortega said in a low, ominous voice. "I'd advise you to tone down the attitude and give us your full cooperation."

Ranger held his ground, lowering his voice into an equally menacing tone. "I know my rights, Officer Ortega. And I'm fully aware of how an investigation works. Obviously, there's been no evidence collected to prove Stephanie's guilt. So, the way I see it, you're detaining our passports to stall for more time to build a bogus case."

Officer Ortega glared at Ranger, clearly taken aback by his audacity. Or maybe he was struck by Ranger's true understanding of what was really happening. Perhaps the reality of the situation was becoming crystal clear. Officer Ortega was not dealing with couple of naive Americans who'd just fell off a turnip truck.

As she tried to recover from the panic stricken idea of being detained in Mexico, without a passport to get home, Stephanie was hoping against hope that Ranger wouldn't bring up the fact that he suspected Serena might be involved in a drug cartel. That would be a big mistake right now. Ortega didn't present himself as the kind of man who could be trusted with true facts. He clearly had his own agenda.

Ortega offered Ranger a peevish smile, sitting down in a chair, absorbing his words. He motioned his hand to the chair beside him, silently asking Ranger to sit, but Ranger remained in a standing position, uncompromising and brooding.

"Mr. Manoso, I can assure you that we are collecting all the evidence we can for this investigation," Ortega said in a disarming tone. "And since you are so knowledgeable about the process of an investigation, then you know it takes time to do a thorough job. So, I am asking again for your full cooperation."

Ranger watched Ortega closely, studying the man's demeanor, noting the sweat stains seeping from his arm pits. Ortega was nervous, his eyes darting from Stephanie to Ranger.

"If we don't have our passports back by Sunday," Ranger warned, pulling the documents from his back pocket. "I will contact the U.S. Embassy and every American law enforcement agency in the book. We've committed no crime here."

He threw the passports on the table in front of Ortega and turned to Stephanie, grabbing her hand. "Let's go."

Silence filled the elevator as Stephanie and Ranger made the trip to the tenth floor. As soon as they entered the hotel room and shut the door, Stephanie blew out a sigh, tears filling her eyes.

"Tell me this is not happening. We're in the middle of a nightmare, right?"

Ranger collected Stephanie in his arms and kissed her temple. "I'm afraid we're wide awake, Babe."

Stifling a sob, she held on tight to Ranger, pressing her face into his neck. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice muffled by his skin. "I'm a magnet for trouble."

"You were in the wrong place at the wrong time," Ranger confirmed. "And someone's trying to figure out a way to use you as a scapegoat."

"How? Ortega can't possibly conjure up evidence that points to me."

Ranger said, "I think you're a convenient distraction. Someone's trying to cover the real killer's tracks. And since we are stuck here with no passports, we're going to conduct our own investigation. I don't trust anyone at this point."

Stephanie looked at Ranger. "Where do we start?"

"We'll have to start with the scene of the murder."

Stephanie's eyes widened in shock and she said, "Are you insane? We can't tamper with a crime scene in Mexico!"

"We won't be tampering, we'll be inspecting. I can do this by myself if you're freaked out about it."

"No way, you can't go up there alone."

Ranger looked at Stephanie with a raised eyebrow. "Make up your mind, Babe. Are you in or out?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes and blew out an exasperated sigh. "I'm in."

****

It was half past midnight and the hotel was unusually quiet as Stephanie and Ranger hiked up two flights of stairs to the twelfth floor. According to Augusto, the twelfth floor was supposed to be closed to the patrons and staff, so elevator service to that floor had been locked down.

Augusto had been right; the whole twelfth floor was cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape. Even the doorway leading to the stairwell was crossed with tape. Ranger slowly pushed the door open and ducked under the tape and Stephanie followed right behind him. Gently easing the door shut, he pulled two pairs of cheap, plastic gloves from his back pocket. He'd conveniently _borrowed_ a handful of the cleaning gloves from an unlocked janitorial closet on the eleventh floor. Pulling on the gloves, Stephanie and Ranger quickly scanned the area.

The twelfth floor's corridor was much smaller than the one on the tenth floor, and Stephanie guessed that this quarter of the hotel was reserved for VIP's and private parties. There were only six rooms on the entire floor, three doors on either side of the dimly lit hallway. Ranger and Stephanie stood by the exit door, listening for signs of life, but the foyer was eerily quiet. Their eyes focused on the last door on the right side of the hall, crime scene tape covering the wood panel.

Ranger motioned for Stephanie to stay put and he moved like a panther towards the door. Stephanie watched as he placed his ear to door, listening for movement inside the room. After a few seconds he waved Stephanie over, pulling a small tool out of his pocket. Stephanie had her doubts about Ranger being able to jimmy an electric, card accessible lock. But within a couple of minutes, he had the door open and they stumbled into the dark room. Stephanie held her breath, trying to block out what she thought would be the smell of desiccated human blood. But when she finally inhaled, a strong odor of bleach filled her nostrils instead. The room had been cleaned.

They stood in the darkness, listening intently, their eyes adjusting to the dark shadows in the room. Ranger swept his hand over the wall and found a light switch next to the door. A tall, antique lamp on the dresser illuminated the darkness, casting a soft glow in the room.

Stephanie blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the sudden light, and then she scanned the room with Ranger. The suite was larger than their room, a perfect retreat for extended living. There was a king size bed in a spacious bedroom, small kitchenette with an island and two bar stools, and a living space boasting a forty two inch, flat screen television. The bed was neatly made and the carpet freshly cleaned, not a speck of dust on the furniture. There was no crime scene tape anywhere in the suite, not even across the bathroom door, where the body had supposedly been found.

"So, this is the crime scene," Ranger whispered, glancing around the room. "Looks like all the evidence has either been collected or scrubbed away."

"Since when does a crime scene become spotless within twenty four hours?" Stephanie asked, bewildered at the sight of the immaculate room.

"This is just more proof of a cover up," Ranger said, dropping to his knees to look under the bed.

He lifted the burgundy, down comforter and inspected the sheets, lifting a corner of the material to check the mattress.

"Not a drop of blood on the mattress."

Stephanie opened drawers and peeped in the closets, all of which were void of clothing. There was no sign that anyone had stayed in the room. The bathroom door was closed and Stephanie waited patiently for Ranger to finish his search. She didn't want any surprises. Ranger ran his gloved hand along the comforter, smoothing out the mess he'd made of the bed and stood to his feet.

He opened the bathroom door cautiously and flipped the light switch on the wall. Then he slipped into the bathroom as Stephanie followed, gratefully allowing him to take the lead. The bathroom was spotless and her nostrils burned from the overwhelming smell of bleach. Bright, Hollywood lights illuminated the twinkling cleanliness of the marble counter tops and porcelain toilet. The Italian tiles on the floor showed no sign of blood, and the bathtub sparkled, as if it were filled with diamonds.

Ranger leaned down and inspected the tub. "Not a sign blood anywhere, not even around the drain. I guess Mr. Clean swept through this place with his magic wand."

He opened the toilet lid and peeked in while Stephanie inspected the medicine cabinet.

Everything had been removed from the room. There was absolutely no sign that Serena had been at the resort. All her personal belongings had been removed.

"This is crazy," Stephanie said disbelievingly.

"Not crazy, Babe. This was a well thought-out plan. A professional clean up crew was brought in to get rid of evidence."

"Get rid of all the evidence so no one can find out the truth."

"Correct," Ranger said, looking behind the toilet, running his hand along the base. "The crime scene is gone, there's no evidence pointing to you as a suspect, and Ortega has our passports. This is not good."

"Let's get out of here," Stephanie said, suddenly feeling a cold chill.

Ranger sighed softly and turned off the light, following Stephanie out of the bathroom.

He went to the small refrigerator in the kitchenette and opened the door to find empty shelves, not even a bottle of water

"Okay, let's go," he said, Stephanie standing right behind him.

Shutting off the light in the room, he listened at the door before opening it. Then they slipped out of the hotel room back into the hallway. Ranger glanced at the door directly across from Serena's room.

"No way," Stephanie said, reading Ranger's mind.

"Someone could have been in that room, monitoring Serena," Ranger said, ignoring Stephanie. "I would like to search that room."

"Someone might be staying in that room."

"Augusto said that no one was allowed on this floor, remember?"

Stephanie closed her eyes and inhaled air deep into her lungs, blowing it out in a rush before looking at Ranger. "One quick search, Ranger and then we're out."

Ranger put his ear to the door, listening for sound. Then he did the magic trick with the lock, and within a couple of minutes, they were standing inside another dark room. Ranger flipped on the lights, revealing a room with the same floor plan as the one they'd just left, minus the smell of bleach.

The room was orderly and clean, but it was obvious that someone was living in the space. There was a local newspaper resting on the bed, as well as a half full bottle of Evian water on the dresser. Ranger walked directly to the bedroom area and opened the closet door. There were a few pairs of jeans and slacks hanging next to a leather jacket and a windbreaker. T-shirts were folded on the top shelf and men's shoes, size twelve, lined the closet floor.

"No sign of a woman staying here," Ranger said, closing the closet door.

Stephanie walked to the bathroom and turned on the light. "Razor and shaving cream on the vanity." She opened the medicine cabinet. "No tampons or beauty products."

Ranger looked around the room. "So, we have a male staying directly across from Serena's room."

"Someone on staff?" Stephanie pondered.

"Not on a VIP floor."

"Maybe he's in management," Stephanie argued.

Staring at the safe in the corner of the room, Ranger pulled the magic tool from his pocket. "There's only one way to find out."

Stephanie watched uneasily as Ranger squatted next to the safe and began working on its lock. "How the hell did you get that thing through Customs?"

"I put it in my carry-on. The tool looks like ball point pen until it's opened."

"Well, it's good to know that you are always prepared for breaking and entering."

"I never leave home without it."

The door to the safe popped open after a couple of minutes and Stephanie made a mental note to ask Ranger for one of those _ball point pens_ for her birthday.

Watching the front door nervously, she waited with baited breath as Ranger sifted through the contents of the safe. Spotting a small, leather card holder, he pulled out an identification card, reading its contents.

"What does it say?" Stephanie asked impatiently.

Ranger shoved the plastic card back into the leather case, closed the safe and looked at Stephanie. She couldn't read his expression, and he seemed to be taking his time digesting whatever information he'd just read.

"What?" Stephanie asked again.

"Pedro Cortez is staying in this room."

Mouth agape, Stephanie stared at Ranger in surprise. "No way!"

"It's true."

"Oh, my God, Pedro killed Serena?"

"I don't know if that's the case, Babe," Ranger said, standing to his feet, glancing around the room one last time. "According to the identification in the safe, Pedro works for the DEA."

"What!"

Ranger put his hands on his hips, pondering the unfolding mystery. "If Serena was in fact a drug mule for a cartel," he said thoughtfully. "Then Pedro is probably investigating the source of the cartel's drug distributions."

Stephanie finished Ranger's thought. "He's an undercover agent, posing as a Royal Palace employee."

Ranger nodded his head. "So, that takes us back to the scenario that there are probably more members of the cartel working at this resort."

Stephanie shook her head in confusion. "So why would Pedro try to make us believe he didn't like Serena?"

"There's a million scenario's running through my head," Ranger said. "But my guess would be that Serena might have been an informant for the DEA and Pedro was trying to maintain his cover, especially if he'd already been caught entering her room. At the time, he didn't know if we had a connection with Serena."

Ranger motioned his head towards the door and flipped off the light. "We need to get out of here. We definitely don't want to get caught snooping around in this room."

Following Ranger to the door, Stephanie asked, "Do you think Pedro knows that Officer Ortega might be involved in a cover up?"

"There's only one way to find out," Ranger said. "We've been pulled into this investigation against our will, and I think Agent Pedro Cortez owes us an explaination."

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

Trouble in Paradise

By Dayoh

Chapter Six

After a long, restless night, Friday morning found Stephanie out of bed bright and early. She was nervously pacing the floor of the hotel room, waiting for Pedro's arrival. Ranger, Mr. Calm, Cool, and Collected, sat quietly on the sofa, his eyes following Stephanie as she burned a path over the tiled floor.

"Babe, you're driving me crazy. Sit down."

"I can't sit down. How are you so calm? Do you realize what we've uncovered?"

Ranger stood from the sofa and silently sauntered over to Stephanie. Pulling her tight against his chest, he kissed the top of her head. "Pedro might be our best chance at getting out of Mexico without being arrested."

"Yes, but we broke into the man's room. Breaking and entering is a crime."

"Tank just called me with Pedro's true identity," Ranger soothed. "So, as far as Pedro is concerned, I got the information from _a viable_ source."

Stephanie took in a deep breath, inhaling Ranger's scent, trying to calm down. But a light knock on the door sent her heart racing again. Ranger nudged Stephanie towards the sofa and padded to the door. Glancing through the peephole, he opened the door to Pedro, dressed in his hotel uniform, standing at attention.

"Mr. Manoso," Pedro said politely, playing the role of assistant manager. "You wanted to speak to me?"

Ranger opened the door wide and moved out of the entryway to let Pedro into the room. "You can cut the act, Agent Cortez. We know you work for the DEA."

Pedro stood frozen at the door, staring at Ranger inquisitively. Slowly, he stepped across the threshold and closed the door.

"I guess that's the advantage of being a security expert," he finally said to Ranger, a perceptive smile on his face. "Evidently, you have access to a vital search engine."

Ranger nodded and walked to the sitting area. Taking a seat next to Stephanie on the sofa, he motioned for Pedro to sit in the club chair directly across from them. Pedro sat down and glanced at Stephanie empathetically.

"Ms. Plum, I will get you out of this mess, but I'll need at least a couple more days. I've worked too hard and too long on this case to let it get away from me now."

Stephanie tried to blink away tears of relief stinging her eyes. "What's really going on here?"

"The DEA and the Mexican government are dealing with one of the largest drug cartels in Mexico, and some of its members are working out of this hotel. It seems you are being used as a scapegoat to divert attention away from the person who really murdered Serena."

Even though Ranger had told her as much, Stephanie stared at Pedro as if she didn't understand what he'd just told her. "You know this for a fact?"

"Everything seems to be pointing in that direction," Pedro answered warily.

"How long have you been undercover at the Royal Palace?" Ranger asked Pedro.

Pedro studied Ranger's face, trying to settle on just how much information he was prepared to share. After a minute or so of silent deliberation, he said, "Five months."

"And you were working with Serena," Ranger confirmed, posing the statement as a fact and not a question.

Pedro looked at Ranger with a raised eyebrow, a smirk turning up the corners of his lips. Stephanie couldn't tell if he was impressed with Ranger's candor or surprised by his straight-no-chaser attitude. Whatever he believed about Ranger gave him pause, and he opened his mouth to speak but stopped short.

Then Pedro finally admitted, "Yes, Serena was an informant for the DEA. She was also a live wire, difficult to control. I knew it would only be a matter of time before she got herself killed."

Keeping his eyes locked on Ranger, Pedro analyzed his face, as if he were searching for a lost piece to a puzzle. Ranger remained silent, sizing up the agent with his own personal assessment. Stephanie watched without a word, her eyes traveling between the two men, wondering if they were about to pull out their dicks and have a pissing contest on the Italian tiled floor.

Pedro said to Ranger, "With your _expertise_, Mr. Manoso, I suppose you've already guessed that Serena's murder was an inside job."

"Yes. And I'm afraid Officer Ortega is involved in some way," Ranger said. "What do you know about him?"

Pedro leaned back in the chair and pulled in a deep breath, pushing out the air with a sigh. He was an attractive man with dark skin and hazel eyes. His dark, brown hair was thinning around the crown, and there were deep lines around his mouth, probably due to the hazards of chasing drug lords for a living. Stephanie watched the man closely, hoping he was truly one of the good guys.

"I know that Ortega is an underpaid cop with a heavy workload," Pedro said emphatically. "Outside of that, I don't know much about him. But, I'm sure he's catching hell from his superiors to solve this case. I doubt he has the resources to corrupt a murder investigation."

"But you know enough about the investigation to know that Stephanie didn't murder Serena," Ranger pressed.

Pedro nodded his head and looked at Ranger. "Yes. I had the agency do a background check on both of you. That's how I know about your security business, military background, and expertise as a bounty hunter."

Pedro turned his attention to Stephanie. "And I know that you are a registered bounty hunter, as well, with no criminal background. If I may be honest, I was relieved to find that you two had clean records. I have enough on my hands as it is."

Stephanie was relieved that Ranger's _clean_ record was the _only_ record that popped up on the DEA's radar. Ranger had a way of making the dirty stuff disappear.

She said to Pedro, "When you returned my shoe that night, you were trying to figure out how much I knew about Serena, is that right? That's why you were pretending you didn't care for her. You were trying to gauge my reaction."

"When I was told that you'd had a tussle with Serena, I thought that the two of you might have known one another," Pedro explained. "At that time, I was definitely feeling you out, trying to get a specific reaction. But it was soon clear that Serena had just picked the wrong person to pick on, nothing more."

"Can you help us get our passports back?" Stephanie asked expectantly.

"Not without blowing my cover. As far as Ortega is concerned, I'm just the assistant manager. My hands are tied right now."

Annoyed with Pedro's nonchalant attitude, Ranger said, "Since you can't help us _right now_, Agent Cortez, what would you suggest we do?"

"Go about your business for the next couple of days. The DEA can't protect you if you go off half cocked, running your own investigation."

Pedro ran his hand down his face, his gaze settling on the floor, as if he'd just realized the enormity of his responsibility.

"Serena's murder was an unexpected blow to this case, and now I have to protect both of you while trying to maintain my cover. And I don't have to tell you how dangerous these drug cartels can be. You've read the news, I'm sure. This gang will kill anyone who gets in their way, so lay low while I figure out my next move."

"What about Ortega?" Stephanie asked.

"Cooperate with him for now," Pedro said, standing to his feet. "My field office is trying to uncover more information on Ortega. He's a new player in this game."

Pedro walked to the door, opened it, and said, "I'll be in touch. Stay out of trouble."

And he was gone.

"Shit!" Stephanie said, slouching into the cushions of the couch. "What are we going to do now?"

"Pedro is not going to jeopardize his undercover operation to help us out," Ranger said quietly. "There's too much bureaucratic red tape surrounding this investigation. We're sitting ducks right now."

"So, what can _we_ do?"

"We can stay below the radar and continue with our own investigation."

Stephanie turned her head and looked at Ranger, eyes narrowed in disbelief.

"Do you have a death wish?"

"No, I have a business to run, and we have a life to get back to. We can't just sit here in Mexico, waiting for someone to frame us for murder or kill us in the process."

Stephanie closed her eyes and took in a deep, calming breath. She knew Ranger was right. There was no way they could wait until Pedro's undercover operation was complete. Two days could easily turn into two weeks, two months, or two years.

"If Pedro or Officer Ortega finds out we're meddling in this case, we can be arrested for interfering with an investigation."

"Who's going to tell them?" Ranger asked.

"The DEA is probably watching us. How else are they going to protect us from the cartel?"

"We've investigated on the low in the past, Stephanie. I know this is scaring the hell out of you, but you need to trust me on this, okay?"

Stephanie gave an apprehensive nod of her head. "What's our next move?"

"We need a personal informant of our own. Augusto seemed real eager to keep us in the loop."

"We'll have to give him an incentive to help us out."

"That's not a problem," Ranger said, standing to his feet, heading towards the safe.

***

Stephanie traveled down the buffet line, filling her plate with bacon, scrambled eggs and French toast. After the meeting with Pedro, Ranger had reluctantly followed Stephanie down to the breakfast buffet. The events of the last couple of days had left her craving comfort food, and there were no Tastykakes to be found on the resort. Sitting down at a table in the back of the restaurant, Stephanie smothered her food with warm maple syrup.

Ranger eyeballed Stephanie's plate and shook his head. "Babe."

"You know I'm stressed."

Ranger lifted a toasted bagel off his plate, spreading a thin layer of cream cheese on the bread. To deal with his stress, Ranger's plate held a colorful array of fresh fruit alongside the bagel. He was back to a serious diet, no carb loading today. Glancing around the restaurant, he took a bite of the bagel.

"Trying to see who's watching us?" Stephanie asked.

"Just checking out the landscape."

"Liar," Stephanie said, filling her mouth with warm, fried bread and maple syrup. She chewed slowly, letting out a gratified sigh. Ranger shook his head again, amused at his girlfriend's love of junk food.

"I could relieve some of that stress for you, Babe."

"I might take you up on that offer. I'll need to burn a few calories after I'm done stuffing my face."

Ranger's eyes landed on someone behind Stephanie, but the expression on his face didn't change.

"Hola," Augusto said, hauling more food on his plate than Stephanie had on hers. But with his sinewy frame, Stephanie was positive the teenager could afford the extra calories.

"Hola," Ranger said, motioning to a chair at the table. "That plate looks heavy. Take a load off."

"I not interrupting your meal, am I?"

"Not at all," Stephanie chimed in. "We were hoping to run into you."

"No shit?" Augusto seemed happy that someone was actually looking for him.

He set his plate on the table and sat down next to Stephanie, digging into his meal.

"These pancakes are awesome," he said around a mouthful of food. "Have you tried them?"

"I'll try them on my second trip around the buffet table," Stephanie promised.

The corners of Ranger's mouth twitched and Stephanie rolled her eyes. Augusto was oblivious, he was too involved with his pancakes to care about Stephanie's eating habits.

Looking up from his plate, Augusto said, "What's on the agenda today?"

"We'll probably hang out at the beach, catch some rays," Stephanie said, crunching on a piece of bacon. We didn't get the chance to bask in the sun yesterday."

"Yeah, rain sucks when you're on vacation," Augusto said.

Ranger pushed a piece of melon into his mouth and nodded his head in agreement. After a few minutes of watching the teenager inhale his food, he asked in a low voice, "Any word on the investigation?"

Augusto's eyes grew wide, as if Ranger had just reminded him that someone had been killed at the resort. He wiped his sticky mouth with a napkin and glanced around the restaurant quickly. Then he leaned forward and said, "There's a waiter by the name of Armando who's been questioned repeatedly."

Almost simultaneously, Stephanie and Ranger stopped eating and looked at Augusto. Agent Cortez had failed to mention that vital piece of information. Surely as an _assistant manager_, he knew which staff members were being questioned.

"This waiter, is he new to the resort?" Stephanie asked Augusto.

"No. He's been here a couple of years, but Armando is real quiet, keeps to himself. That's why we are all shocked that he's been questioned so many times. He was on staff the night Serena was killed, so maybe he's giving the police some useful information."

"What does Armando look like?" Ranger asked.

"He's the oldest waiter on staff. Mid-forties, squat little guy with a thick neck.

His hair is really dark and short, military buzz cut."

Ranger and Stephanie shared a glance. The description fit one of the waiters who'd rushed out to grab Serena on the night of the altercation.

Ranger reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill, sliding it across the table to Augusto. "We need you to keep us informed on the investigation. I'll pay you for any new information you can give me. And let's keep this between the three of us, okay?"

Augusto gave an animated smile, happy to have a little extra money in his pocket. He swiped the twenty off the table and stood to his feet. "I'll see what I can dig up."

"That works for us," Stephanie said, looking at Ranger.

"Cool. I'll catch up with you guys later on." Augusto picked up his empty plate and strolled away from the table.

"Okay, now we have our own informant. What do we do about Armando?" Stephanie asked Ranger in a quiet voice.

Ranger polished off his fruit and pushed his plate away. "We need to keep Armando under close watch. Maybe Augusto can get his schedule and we can follow him."

"Armando knows what we look like; he was at the restaurant that night. And if he's truly a suspect, the authorities might be following him, too."

"We can change our appearance," Ranger said, slipping his phone out of his pocket. "We'll need some reinforcement."

"Did you smuggle a gun through Customs?" Stephanie asked hesitantly.

"No, the risk wasn't necessary. Guns are easy to obtain in Mexico. Besides, I didn't think I'd need a gun while on vacation. Tank can pull up a list of gun distributors here in Cancun."

"We don't have transportation. We can't conduct an investigation from a cab."

"A fake driver's license and a credit card is all we need for a car rental. Tank will have to send us an overnight package."

"Why do we need fake licenses?" Stephanie asked Ranger.

"Just a precaution. If your name and passport photo is leaked to the media as a murder suspect, we'll need to be able to rent a car and get around town without a hassle."

Stephanie looked stricken at the thought, and Ranger gave her a reassuring smile, saying, "We'll have to lay low today. But, we can hang out on the beach and engage in a lot of stress relieving sex until the package arrives tomorrow morning. You okay with that?"

What Stephanie really wanted to do was puke. She wasn't okay, not with any of it. To a normal person, the whole scenario would seem completely insane. But in Stephanie and Ranger's world, the fine line between insanity and normalcy was always distorted by reality.

TBC…


	7. Chapter 7

Trouble in Paradise

By Dayoh

Chapter Seven

Stephanie lay curled up next to Ranger, his body spooning the curve of her body, his arm draped over her chest. The clock on the nightstand told her it was five-forty five in the morning, too early to be wide awake. Thanks to Ranger and his stress relieving techniques, she'd slept much better than she had the night before, but her mind was still at odds with her body. And despite the fact that Ranger wasn't showing signs of stress outwardly, Stephanie knew he was feeling the pressure of the last few days. Ranger was a problem solver, the Fix-it-Man. He would go to great lengths to protect her, even if it meant taking on a dangerous cartel.

Closing her eyes, Stephanie tried to focus her mind on something besides murder and corruption. On impulse, she pushed her ass into Ranger's pelvis, her thoughts traveling to the prior night. Ranger stirred behind her, and she could feel his early morning arousal pressing against her soft skin.

"You're up early," she said in voice thick with sleep.

Ranger pressed his lips against Stephanie's ear and whispered, "In more ways than one." Then he pushed a lean leg between her thighs, rubbing the tip of his hard cock against her sex.

Stephanie smiled into the dark room, raising her top leg an inch or so, giving Ranger easier access. Taking the queue, he pressed his hips forward and pushed his manhood deep into the warmth of her body. And for a few moments, he lay buried inside her, silent and unmoving, his hand cupping her breast. Stephanie swiveled her hips, egging him on. But Ranger didn't move a muscle.

Instead, he teased her erect nipple with his thumb, kneading her breast in the palm of his hand. Squirming under his ministrations, a soft moan escaped from her lips. Unhurriedly, Ranger stimulated Stephanie's other breast, giving it the same quality treatment. Then he slid his hand over her belly, moving down to her wet center. Stephanie positioned her hand over Ranger's hand; guiding his movements as he massaged her mound, stimulating the sensitive nerve endings between her legs. And after what seemed like an eternity since he'd entered her, he finally moved his hips, grinding against her steadily.

Moaning in pleasure, wanting to feel more of Ranger inside her, Stephanie shifted onto her stomach and pushed her ass in the air, balancing her weight on her elbows and knees. Without missing a beat, Ranger used the position to his advantage and thrust even deeper into Stephanie, feeling her walls expand around him. With his knees planted firmly on the bed for leverage, Ranger wrapped his right arm around Stephanie's waist and pumped his hips feverishly, increasing his pace with every thrust. His left hand was still secured between her legs, slipping and sliding over her engorged nub.

Gasping for air, Stephanie buried her head in the pillow, pushing her hips into Ranger's pelvic bone, meeting each thrust with a shove of her own. Then without warning, she felt her knees being lifted off the bed as Ranger pulled her up by her waist and drove into her, hard and fast, his hand still working her mound. On a sharp exhale of breath, Ranger's name fell from Stephanie's mouth, and her body shook with an orgasm that was so strong, she had to bite down on the pillow to keep from screaming. A few seconds later, Ranger let out a deep, guttural groan, followed by a spew of expletives as his muscles tensed to the point of paralysis. Then they both collapsed in a trembling heap on the bed, covered in sweat, heaving in deep breaths of air.

"Shit," Ranger spat out breathlessly.

Stephanie responded by way of a moan, pulling the top sheet over their damp bodies. Curling up next to Ranger, resting her head on his chest, she closed her eyes and let out a satiated sigh. Ranger pushed his hand into her curly hair and massaged her scalp while she floated back down to earth.

After a few silent moments, she said, "I'm going to fall into a deep coma now. Wake me in a couple of hours."

Three hours later, a loud knock on the door lulled Ranger out of a shallow slumber. Stephanie was still sleeping peacefully beside him, snoring lightly. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand and pulled himself into a sitting position in bed. The package from Tank had arrived. He stumbled out of bed and pulled on the same jeans he'd left on the floor the previous evening. Padding to the front door with a bare chest and bare feet, he glanced through the peep hole and opened the door to his favorite bellhop.

"Buenos Dias, Carlos," Augusto said brightly. "FedEx delivered a package for you this morning." Handing Ranger a large envelope, he stared at his mussed hair and bare chest with a knowing smirk.

Ranger gave Augusto a heavy-eyed smile and took the package. "Muchas gracias."

Augusto puffed his chest out with pride. "I also have new information to share with you."

Ranger waved the teenager inside the room and went to fetch his wallet off the nightstand. Pedro was waiting patiently by the door when Ranger returned with his wallet, a pen, and a small notepad provided by the hotel.

"Armando worked the night shift last night," Augusto said. "I looked for you and Stephanie around dinner time, but you never showed up at the restaurant."

"We ordered room service last night," Ranger said quietly.

"Cool," said Augusto, looking toward the bedroom, reading between the lines. "Anyway, I found out that Armando Marino drives a 2005, red and black Mini Cooper. He lives ten miles south of the strip at the Bay Casa Apartment Community, and he's working today. His shift ends at six p.m. I hope that helps."

Ranger stared at Augusto with a raised eyebrow, impressed with the boy's intuitiveness. The kid would make a perfect Rangeman employee.

"That information will be very useful, Augusto," he said, jotting down the specifics on the notepad. "How did you get that much out of him?"

"We hardly ever work the same shift, but yesterday we just happened to be on the same schedule. I ran into him during one of his smoke breaks and used the opportunity to get more information about the investigation. I warmed him up with small talk about cars and chicks, and went from there. He was real tight lipped about the investigation, though."

Ranger pulled a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet and passed it to Augusto. "You gave me just enough information to work with. Thank you."

"Cool," Augusto said, pocketing the money. "I'll keep digging."

Ranger closed and locked the door behind Augusto and turned his attention to the care package from Tank. Ripping open the envelope, he pulled out one credit card, two fake driver's licenses, and two fake birth certificates with the same bogus names as the licenses. Tank had also enclosed a list of illegal gun distributors in the Cancun area. Playtime was over. He and Stephanie had approximately twenty four hours to find a link between Officer Ortega and Serena's murderer, if they planned on making their flight back to Trenton tomorrow.

Ranger knew they were entering dangerous territory, but he wanted to make sure they had leverage the next time they ran into Officer Ortega. The man had come across as the kind of person who'd easily slip up if pressed hard enough, and Ranger had to find a bargaining tool to get their passports back.

"Hey, you," Stephanie said on a yawn, coming up behind Ranger, wrapping her arms around his waist. "What's up?"

Ranger leaned into Stephanie's embrace and held up the envelope. "Tank has sent us a few tools that we might need. I hate to say this, but it looks like our vacation is officially over."

Stephanie glanced over Ranger's shoulder at the fake ID's and sighed. "Well, at least we had a few days of relaxation. And now we're knee deep in murder and mayhem."

"I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"This is not your fault. I'm the idiot who went after Serena like a banshee from hell."

Ranger smiled at the memory. "Next trip's on you, then."

"Deal," Stephanie said, knowing good and well that Ranger would never make her pay for a vacation. His male ego wouldn't hear of it. But in her heart, Stephanie knew that she owed him a lot more than a free vacation.

"While you're in shower, I'm going to call a few numbers on this list," Ranger said to Stephanie. "And then we need to find a costume shop."

****

The man at the rental counter inspected the fake ID's carefully, and then he stared at Stephanie and Ranger for a long while before glancing back down at the ID's. Stephanie held a strong resemblance to the blond woman pictured on the ID, now that she was wearing a blond wig. And the Latina man pictured on Ranger's ID could have been his twin brother, especially with the matching beard and mustache. When Ranger had glued on the fake facial hair, Stephanie had told him how much she liked his hair all slicked back, face full of fuzz. It was a sexy look. But right now, she was scared shitless, not sure if they'd pass the test at the rental counter.

After what seemed like an eternity, the man with the coke-bottle glasses passed the ID's back to them and continued the process of renting them a car. Stephanie blew out a small sigh of relief as Ranger watched the man in a nonchalant manner. After a few minutes of typing information into the computer, the man asked for a credit card and Ranger obliged. Five minutes later, they were angling into a four-door, 2008 Fiat Palio. Stephanie had never heard of the make and model, but the car was decent and unassuming, a perfect automobile for what they had to do.

"You okay?" Ranger asked, buckling his seat belt. I thought you were going to piss your pants at the rental desk."

"He stared at the ID's for so long; I thought our jig was up before it even started."

"He was doing what he's been trained to do, Babe," Ranger said lightly. "I knew we'd pass the test."

"I'm glad you did," Stephanie deadpanned as Ranger started the car and peeled out of the parking lot.

An hour later, Ranger and Stephanie pulled into the parking lot of the Bay Casa Apartment Community, strapped with guns they'd just purchased from a street vendor. Scanning the five story, white stucco building, getting a lay on the land, Ranger drove the Palio through the parking lot to the back of the building. There, he parked on a side road that ran along the east side of the complex and cut the engine.

"Armando gets off a six p.m.," Stephanie said to Ranger. "Why are you parking on a side street in the back of the building?"

"There was a dark, unmarked van parked on a side street at the front of the building," Ranger said, his eyes scanning the back of the building, paying particular attention to the exits.

"DEA?"

"It's possible," said Ranger. "If Armando is a suspected cartel member, it would make sense for them to keep an eye on his apartment while a warrant is processed to search the premises. But we don't need a search warrant; let's get in and out as fast as we can."

Ranger opened the door and angled out of the car. Stephanie followed suite, looking at the back entrance way. There was a keypad next to the door, which meant they'd have to have an access code to enter the building.

"Can your little doodad summons up an access code?"

Ranger cut his eye to Stephanie, a small smile turning up the corners of his lips.

"No. You'll have to stand by the door and wait for someone to exit the building. Toss that blond hair around; someone will let you in. I'll wait here."

Stephanie sauntered across the narrow street towards the back entrance of the apartment building. Just as she reached the glass door, a man in a maintenance uniform walked out, carrying a tool box. Greeting Stephanie with an over stimulated grin, he held the door open.

"Thanks, Stephanie said, giving the wig a good toss on her head while sticking out her chest. I was just about to dig my friend's access code out of my pocket, but you saved me the trouble."

"Not a problem," the tall, lanky man said, licking his chapped lips. He had an awful comb over and he smelled like the Marlboro Man "Can I help you with anything else?"

"Armando Marino, he lives in 109, right?" Stephanie asked with another toss of her head, blond hair flying everywhere.

Mr. Lanky Man shook his head, staring at Stephanie's breasts, as if he could see right through the snug fitting T-shirt she had on. "I repaired Armando's toilet yesterday. _That_ lucky guy lives in 328, darlin. Have fun!"

"You're wonderful," Stephanie said in a high pitched, ditsy voice. And before the man could say another word, she hurried into the building to study the layout. A long, brightly lit hallway, with a slickly polished floor, cut a path from the back door to the front lobby. Elevators sat between the front and back entrance, one on either side of the hallway. After a couple of minutes Ranger appeared at the back door and Stephanie let him in.

"You didn't make a hot date with the maintenance guy, did you?"

"He's picking me up in a couple of hours," Stephanie teased. "Armando lives in apartment 328."

"Good job, Babe."

"Yeah, I have my talents."

The third floor vestibule was covered in grey carpet and the doors were painted in a Redwood finish. Each apartment was identified by gold numbering on the front of the door, and the building was clean and quiet and well maintained.

Apartment 328 was the last apartment at the end of the hall. Stephanie and Ranger stood by the door, listening for sound in the hallway. But there was no loud music playing, no dogs barking, and no children crying from behind any of the doors on the third floor. In truth, the whole building seemed unusually quiet for a Saturday afternoon. And Stephanie wondered how many apartments were actually occupied in the building.

As if reading her thoughts, Ranger whispered, "It's too quiet in this building. I don't like it."

"I was just thinking the same thing. And come to think of it, there were only a couple of cars in the parking lot."

Ranger pressed his ear against the door while Stephanie stood watch, glancing down the hall. Then he pulled his handy dandy tool from the pocket of his black jeans and went to work on the lock.

"This building might be owned by the cartel," Ranger warned. "And if that's the case, I doubt many people reside here."

"That's comforting," Stephanie said suspiciously, glancing down the hall again. "What if someone is in there? Like a girlfriend or wife?"

"Then the next few minutes are going to really suck for her," Ranger said, lifting his T-shirt and pulling a gun from his waistband. He turned the doorknob slowly and pushed open the door a few inches, peeking inside. There was no security chain on the door, no alarm pad on the wall, and no security dog salivating at the door. The apartment was quiet; no one seemed to be home.

Treading softly, they slipped inside and quickly shut the door. The air conditioner was running full blast inside the spacious apartment, the cool draft dissolving the sweat trickling down Stephanie's back. Ranger pulled the borrowed, plastic gloves from his back pocket and walked to the living room. The living area was full of expensive, contemporary furniture, black and tan colors dominating the space, hardwood floors stretched wall to wall.

"Nice stuff for a waiter," Stephanie said sarcastically.

"I doubt Armando's the one footing the bill," Ranger said, looking through stacks of books piled in a dust free bookshelf. "Free room and board is probably part of his fringe benefits."

Walking into the kitchen, eyes alert, senses humming, Ranger switched on the light. Then he glanced over his shoulder, looking at Stephanie. "This would be a good time to get your gun out, Babe."

Stephanie retrieved her gun and silently prayed that she wouldn't have to use it. She thought about searching one of the two bedrooms while Ranger scoped out the kitchen but quickly changed her mind. She wasn't feeling very brave right now. Actually, she was close to losing control of her bowels. She would chase down an FTA any day of the week, but drug cartels were way out of her league. In stark comparison, Ranger seemed to be in his zone while chasing drug selling thugs around Mexico.

The bright, overhead light revealed a spotless kitchen, and Stephanie was reminded of the first time she'd walked into Ranger's apartment, unannounced.

"Armando has a housekeeper."

Ranger gave a slight nod, lifting the lid on a garbage can sitting in a corner by a pantry door. "Or he's gay."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Good thing I didn't think the same about you."

"Babe, by the time you found my place, you'd had plenty of proof that I wasn't gay."

Stephanie couldn't argue with that. She watched as Ranger reached into the garbage can and pulled out a crumbled sheet of paper, covered in coffee grinds.

"Dumpster diving?"

"Just looking for clues." Ranger smoothed out the sheet of paper, reading its contents while Stephanie kept a watchful eye on the front door, gun at the ready.

"What a coincidence," Ranger said suspiciously. "I think Armando might know Officer Ortega. His name is written on this sheet of paper, along with an address." Ranger held the paper up to the light. "This is a photo copy, Armando must have the original."

Stephanie peeled her eyes away from the door and stared at Ranger. "What a careless thing to do, leaving a copy in the trash for anyone to find it. Armando's certainly not worried about leaving a paper trail."

"Not if Ortega's covering his ass," Ranger said, folding the piece of paper and shoving it in his back pocket. "We'll worry about the address later. Let's go check the master bedroom."

Passing a small bedroom with no furniture, they moved on to the master suite. Inside the large bedroom, the walls were painted soft beige. There was a bedroom set, framing a king size bed, following a similar color scheme as the living area. Ranger searched the closet while Stephanie opened dresser drawers, looking for evidence. Finding nothing interesting in the clothes drawers, she padded to the nightstand and opened the bottom drawer. As she shuffled through a stack of Playboy magazines and a handful of unopened condoms, Stephanie noticed a small, ring shaped latch at the bottom of the drawer.

"Ranger, come look at this."

In an instant, Ranger was by her side, staring down at the latch.

"Hidden compartment," he said, inspecting the small handle closely. He tugged on the latch but nothing happened. Squatting down next to the night stand, he knocked on the black lacquered wood, listening for a hollow sound. Then he ran his hand along the back side of the small table, trying to find a release button.

"There's usually a hidden lock release for emergency access, just in case the key gets misplaced."

After a couple more minutes of searching, Ranger found the release button underneath the night stand. Stephanie reached into the drawer, pulled out the magazines, and tugged on the latch. Pulling open the secret compartment, her eyes went wide as she stared at four, neatly stacked rows of hundred dollar bills, bundled together.

"Armando is making a killing in tips," she said, looking at Ranger. He stared at the stash attentively, his eyes studying the separated bundles of cash.

"That's not tip money, Babe. That's cartel money."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Stephanie said, watching Ranger lift a black binder, resting next to the money, out of the drawer. Slowly, he flipped through the pages.

"Looks like Armando might be an enforcer for the Apuro Cartel," he said, continuing to scan the pages of the binder as Stephanie looked on nervously.

"What's an enforcer?" she asked, her eyes traveling between the binder in his hand and the bedroom door.

"He's a hired gun."

"And he has the _name_ of the cartel written down in that book?"

Ranger flipped through the last few pages, pointing out, "He has the word _Apuro_ doodled all over this book, like a gang logo. And there are surveillance pictures of Selena and Officer Ortega. That explains why he has Ortega's name and address written down. I don't think he'll be stopping by his house for a friendly chat."

Stephanie peeled her eyes away from the door and stared at the pictures with Ranger, blowing out a low whistle. "This just gets crazier by the minute. Why in the hell would the Apuro cartel want to kill their employees?"

Ranger closed the book and placed it back into the compartment, alongside the money. Then he put the magazines and condoms back in their rightful place and closed the drawer.

He said, "It happens all the time. With Ortega's knowledge of police procedures, the organization probably thought that he'd be an asset. But the fact that we are here, conducting our own investigation, proves that Officer Ortega is not cut out for the job." Ranger looked around the room, trying to see if there was anything they'd missed.

"So, we have Ortega who is a proven liability to the organization," Stephanie surmised. "And there was Serena, the live wire, working with Pedro as an informant. She was certainly a liability to the organization. But why is Pedro still alive? If Serena was feeding him information, wouldn't the cartel want him dead, too?"

Ranger thought about that for a beat. "That's a good question, Babe. Pedro's name was not in the book as a target. So maybe the cartel is not aware that he's an undercover agent. Not yet, anyway."

"Do you think the Apuro Cartel owns the Royal Palace?"

"My guess is the Royal Palace is the epicenter for the Apuro Cartel's drug transactions. And they probably have a stake in the property, as well."

Stephanie said to Ranger, "I doubt Officer Ortega knows that the group he's moonlighting for has put him on their hit list."

"And he can't ask the police department for help without giving himself up," Ranger added, pulling Stephanie toward the front door. "He's a corrupt police officer who's probably getting a hefty salary from the cartel. And now we have enough leverage to get our passports back, as long as Armando doesn't get to him first."

Ranger opened the door slowly and peeked down the hall. "Let's get out of here. We need to drop by the Cancun Police Department to have a few words with Officer Ortega."

Ranger locked the apartment door and headed down the hall, walking briskly to the elevator as Stephanie followed behind him. Reaching the first floor without incident, they quickly made their way to the back exit. Ranger glanced through the glass door. The car was still in its spot, but now, the unmarked van he'd spotted earlier, was parked right behind the rental.

"Fuck," he said anxiously, grabbing Stephanie's arm, pulling her away from the door.

"What?"

"That black van is parked right behind our rental now. I seriously doubt it belongs to the DEA."

"Shit! How did they know where to find us?" Stephanie's asked fearfully, pulling the gun from the waistband of her jeans.

Ranger took off down the hall, silently pulling Stephanie behind him, gun in hand. His eyes were dark and alert, his body moving like a panther trapped in a cage, searching for a way out. When they reached the front door of the lobby, Ranger froze in his tracks and glared through the thick glass. Stephanie stopped short behind him, her eyes following his gaze.

Officer Ortega was on the other side of the door, waiting patiently beside a red Toyota Camry. He had traded in his police uniform for a pair of faded jeans, a T-shirt, and thick soled work boots. Today, Officer Ortega was on the clock for the Apuro Cartel. He was standing alone, staring directly at Ranger and Stephanie. The black van probably held a few of Ortega's cronies, just waiting for his signal. The man wasn't a genius, but he wasn't dumb enough to show up without back-up, either.

Officer Ortega looked down at the gun in Ranger's hand, and then he mockingly raised his hands in the air, feigning surrender, wearing a wicked smile. Ranger stood defiantly, glaring at Ortega through hooded eyes, his mind in overdrive. Stephanie pressed herself against Ranger's back, shaking like a leaf.

"I hate to interrupt the pissing contest," Stephanie whispered while nervously glancing over her shoulder. "But there are two, very large men coming our way."

Approaching from the shadows of the back hall, two, very scary looking Hispanic males cautiously made their way to the lobby, eyes locked on Stephanie and Ranger. Stephanie held her gun tightly in her shaking hand. She wasn't ready to die, but she was scared out of her mind, unable to move. Ranger was breathing slow, steady breaths, but his body was humming with electricity. He didn't take his eyes off Ortega.

"Stay calm," he said under his breath. "They have to open the door to let Ortega inside the building. We have time, just follow my lead."

"God, Ranger, I can't…"

"Stephanie, you are going to stay calm and follow my lead."

Ranger was in lockdown mode. He had to think quickly. There was no time for comfort or persuasion. The two men were just a few feet away from them now, guns drawn. Outside the door, Ortega watched his support team arrive and he lowered his hands, but the evil smile remained in place.

In a soft whisper, Ranger said, "Slowly place your gun on the floor and act like you're going to surrender peacefully."

Stephanie did as she was told, lowering her gun to the floor in slow motion. Ranger did the same. Simultaneously, they lifted their hands in the air just as the two men sidled up behind them. No words were spoken by anyone. The silence was deadly. Stephanie shivered with fear, her teeth chattering from the cold sweat spreading across her body. Now she was almost positive that the building was owned by the Apuro Cartel. There were no residents walking through the hall, no cars pulling in or out of the parking spaces outside. No one was there to bear witness to the atrocity that was about to go down. Someone was going to die. She could almost smell death in the air.

The first man, wearing a faded scar across his face, kicked Stephanie and Ranger's weapons across the lobby. He then motioned for them to move away from the door while pointing his gun at Stephanie's head. The second man, who was an inch or so smaller than the first guy, but about twenty pounds heavier, moved slowly towards the door to let Ortega inside the lobby. His gun was trained on Ranger.

And that's when all hell broke loose. In one swift motion, Ranger grabbed the arm of the man who had the gun in his face and jabbed his elbow into the perpetrators windpipe. The thug gasped and struggled for breath, his knees buckling from the pain. Taking advantage of the reprieve, Ranger locked his hand around the gun that the man was holding and pointed it at the goon who was guarding Stephanie, unloading four quick shots into his upper torso before he even had a chance to react.

The man crumbled to the floor in a heap, blood spraying from an artery in his neck. Stephanie quickly dove for his gun, snatching it off the floor. Then she whipped around and pointed the weapon at Ortega who was still standing on the other side of the door, eyes wide with fear. The evil smile had disappeared and he stood unmoving, shock written all over his face. Stephanie's eyes narrowed angrily and she held the gun steady, silently daring him to make a move. Ortega knew better than to shoot through the window. The gunfire would surely draw an unexpected crowd and his true identity would be exposed.

Ranger was still holding his victim's arm in a vise grip. And in a trained maneuver he'd probably learned in Special Forces, he pressed the man's arm backwards, snapping the bone just below the elbow. The sound of breaking bone seemed to resonate through the lobby, bouncing off the tiled floor. And the man flinched and yelped like a dying dog, dropping the same gun that had just killed his partner. As he writhed in pain on the floor, Ranger grabbed the gun and fired off a round at close range. The bullet pierced the thug's skull, putting him out of his misery.

Turning his attention to Stephanie, who still had her gun zeroed in on a dumbfounded Ortega, he asked, "Are you okay, Babe?"

Stephanie just nodded her head. She couldn't speak.

"Go grab our guns. I'll keep an eye on Ortega."

Stephanie did as she was told; scooping up their guns from the corner of the lobby. Shoving the weapons back into the waistbands of their jeans, Stephanie and Ranger held on to the guns they'd just seized from the dead thugs. Then they pushed through the front door and walked towards Ortega, guns aimed at his head. Coming out of a stupor, Ortega turned and stumbled to his car in a blind rush. Even with two pistols pointed at his back, the coward was still trying to make an escape.

"Ortega!" Ranger called to the retreating man's back. "We'll need a few minutes of your time. We have unfinished business."

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

Trouble in Paradise

By Dayoh

Chapter Eight

Stephanie trailed the black van through a quaint, sleepy town, making sure the car stayed just under the posted speed limit. Her heart was still racing a mile a minute and her hands continued to tremble as she gripped the steering wheel. Underneath the blonde wig, her hair was damp with sweat. And even though the temperature had climbed well into the eighties, she was chilled to the bone. The situation seemed so surreal, as if she were sitting in front of a movie screen, watching the scene unfold right before her eyes. She and Ranger had just kidnapped a corrupt police officer at gun point, and now they were on their way to a private location to talk business. Ranger was behind the wheel of the van, cutting through side streets, staying away from heavily populated areas.

Officer Ortega, handcuffed and gagged in the back of the van, was probably scared shitless right now. He had failed to accomplish a task ordered by the Apuro Cartel. He was a dead man walking. As it turned out, Ranger had put the final nail in Ortega's coffin when he annihilated two members of the Apuro Cartel, leaving the organization with a bloody mess to clean up. But, in the mist of the chaos, Ranger had saved them both from an untimely death, and for that, Stephanie was grateful.

Glancing in her rearview mirror every five seconds, Stephanie followed Ranger onto a desolate stretch of highway that seemed to go on for miles and miles. Finally, after an hour of driving, the trip came to an end on a quiet and deserted back road. Ranger parked the van under a shaded tree and Stephanie pulled the rental in behind the van and cut the engine.

Angling out of the car, she met Ranger at the back of the van and fell into his arms. She felt an unusual combination of fear and numbness that kept the tears at bay. But she didn't need to cry, really. She just needed to be held. And Ranger came through like a champ, silently holding her in a vise grip, as if she were about to slip away. They stayed locked in that position for a couple of minutes and then Ranger gently broke the embrace.

Cupping Stephanie's face in his hands, Ranger said, "Are you going to be okay?"

"No. I'm not going to be okay until we're on a plane out of Mexico."

"For what it's worth, I'm proud of you, Babe."

"_You _did all the work. I'd be another Apuro Cartel statistic if you hadn't acted as quickly as you did."

"Yeah, but you stayed calm and backed my play. You did everything I asked you to do."

Stephanie gave a light nod of her head and wrapped her arms around Ranger's neck, grateful that they were both alive. Ranger kissed her lips softly before turning his attention to the back door of the van.

"We're not out of the woods yet."

"What made you drive way out here?"

"Seclusion. I need time to get information from this idiot. The cartel won't be happy to find two of their own shot dead. They'll be searching for Ortega soon, looking for an explanation. And I want to make sure we have our passports back before they catch up to him."

"Or before they catch up to _us_." Stephanie added in a soft voice.

Ranger looked at Stephanie again, his eyes full of concern. "I thought you'd be having a serious melt down by now."

"I'm numb."

Ranger silently studied Stephanie for another long moment, and then he turned and opened the back door of the van. Ortega stared out at them with wide eyes, his hands cuffed behind his back. His mouth was covered with duck tape, his ankles bound with rope. The duck tape and rope had been stashed in the back of the van by Ortega and his cronies, and had most likely been placed there to assist with Ranger and Stephanie's demise. But the tables had quickly turned.

Ranger stepped into the van, pulling Stephanie in beside him, leaving the door open. Then he sat down on a thin, metal bench directly across from Ortega. The air inside the van was stifling and Stephanie pulled in a deep breath, inhaling the stale, muggy air combined with the putrid smell of fear pouring from Ortega's sweat glands.

With her stomach threatening to rid itself of its contents, she looked and Ranger and said, "I think I'll wait outside. I could use the fresh air."

Ranger nodded his head. "Stay close. I'll be out in a little while."

Stephanie hopped out of the van and left the door open so she could hear the conversation.

Ranger faced Ortega, glaring at him while reaching for his face. Ortega snapped his head back in fear as Ranger heatedly ripped the duck tape off his mouth.

"Who are you?" Ortega inquired quickly; sweat dripping from his forehead into his eyes.

"I'm asking the questions right now. How long have you been working for the Apuro Cartel?"

Ortega's eyes grew wide, as if he were watching a scene from a horror movie. "Are you with the Feds?" he asked Ranger suspiciously.

"No. I'm a man who was trying to enjoy his vacation, until you and your gang tried to frame Stephanie with a murder she didn't commit."

Ortega relaxed into the bench, apparently relieved that Ranger wasn't an FBI agent. Since there was no imminent threat of arrest, he decided to put on a brave face again. "You're going to be sorry you ever messed with me, vato."

Pulling the gun from his waistband, Ranger pointed the weapon at Ortega's head. "You are in no position to threaten anyone right now. I'll give you five seconds to answer my question…four…three…"

"Okay!" Ortega said nervously, dropping the bravado. "I needed extra money for my family. The government pays me shit! I started doing side work for the Apuro Cartel a little over a year ago, and now I'm in way over my head."

"Why's Stephanie mixed up in this mess?" Ranger asked the officer.

"She was just a convenient scapegoat, a distraction. When the cartel decided to get rid of Serena, they had to do it in a way that didn't draw attention to their business dealings at the resort." Ortega drew in a shaky breath, and then continued. "Your girlfriend ran into Serena in the wrong place, at the wrong time, that's all."

Outside the van, Stephanie blew out a sharp breath and braced her body against the door, using the hard steel to hold herself up. Ortega's words seemed to be the story of her life, always in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Serena was working for the Apuro Cartel," Ortega continued. "She and her partner helped to smuggle drugs through the Royal Palace Resort."

"Armando?" Ranger asked Ortega.

"Yeah, Serena's partner was Armando," Ortega clarified. "He has easy access to the kitchen because he's a senior staff member. He unloads the food and signs off on the shipments. The marijuana comes through the resort by way of the delivery trucks that deliver the food to the hotel. Serena assisted with the outside logistics of the operation. Armando worked from the inside."

"How long has the resort been the mode of delivery for the Apuro Cartel's marijuana trade?" Ranger asked Ortega, trying to get as much information as possible.

Ortega was quiet for a beat, studying Ranger's disguise. Finally, he said, "You're with the Trujillo Cartel, aren't you? Look, I don't want to get in the middle of a turf war; I'm just trying to make extra money for my family."

Ranger aimed the gun at Ortega's head again. "I don't give a fuck about some turf war between two cartels. I'm going to ask you again. How long has the Royal Palace been the epicenter for the Apuro's drug trade?"

"I don't know, three years, maybe four. The owner of the resort can tell you."

Ranger held the gun steady in front of Ortega's face. "How were you planning to stick Serena's murder on Stephanie?"

Ortega looked down the barrel of Ranger's gun and swallowed hard. Then he said, "As the lead investigator, I was supposed to use the altercation as a basis for a bogus murder investigation. The catch twenty two, of course, was that there was no physical evidence tying Stephanie to Serena's murder. All the evidence was washed away by a couple of Apuro employees who work at the resort. The authorities knew that Serena was a member of the Apuro Cartel, so I was supposed to create a circumstantial scenario, taking the focus off the Apuro Cartel."

"And that set-up was supposed to go down today, at Armando's building?" Ranger was starting to figure things out.

"I was told to follow both of you to Armando's building, under the false pretense that you were involved with a rival cartel and suspected of murdering Serena."

Ranger lowered his gun as the failed scenario played out in his head. Things were starting to make sense now.

He said to Ortega, "You'd tell the authorities that you had cornered two murder suspects in a building known to be frequented by the Apuro Cartel. The same cartel that the murder victim just happened to belonged to. And of course, the two suspects tried to resist arrest, and you, the hero of the hour, had to take them out. Moral of the story, you get all the glory for taking out two, drug smuggling killers who were _secretly_ involved in a rival drug cartel. And the Apuro Cartel is off the hook for the murder."

Ortega nodded in response.

"That's why you asked me if I was with the Trujillo Cartel?" Ranger clarified. "That's the group who's involved in the turf war with Apuro?"

Ortega nodded his head again and winced, as if in pain. He admitted frantically, "Supposedly, Serena was killed because she was leaking information to members of the Trujillo Cartel."

"And you're plan was to use Stephanie to switch the heat from the Apuro Cartel to the Trujillo Cartel. Get them out of the way, just in case they were making plans to move in on Apuro's territory."

"I've really fucked things up," Ortega said. "Now they are going to kill me, too."

"I got news for you, vato," Ranger said. "They were going to kill you in spite of your fuck up."

Ortega looked at Ranger with wide eyes, his forehead creased with a questioning look. "What are you saying?"

Ranger pulled the folded sheet of paper from his pocket. He smoothed out the edges and shoved it in front of Ortega's face. "Does that address look familiar?"

Ortega read the name and address on the paper. Again, his eyes widened in surprise. "Why do you have my name and address? Who are you?"

Ranger gave Ortega a sick smile and crumbled up the paper, throwing it at his feet.

"I found that information in Armando's apartment, along with surveillance pictures of you and Serena. I presume he has plans to pay you and your family a personal visit."

Ortega closed his eyes and shook his head disbelievingly. "Shit! I knew those fucker's would double cross me!"

Taking advantage of Ortega's anger, Ranger asked, "How did you know that we'd be at Armando's building today. Who told you?"

Ortega stared at Ranger, his eyes bright with tears. And in a voice that reeked of surrender, he said, "Armando told me. He knew you were going to his apartment."

Ranger showed no outward emotion as Ortega confessed, but he felt anger and disappointment course through his veins. His mind traveled back to the conversation he'd had with Augusto earlier in the day. And he realized he'd been double crossed, too.

Augusto had been so forthcoming with Armando's information because he was in his pocket. The teenager had practically lured Stephanie and Ranger to deaths front door. And Ranger had fallen for his act, hook, line and sinker. One thing about it, the kid was a lot smarter than Ortega. And if the circumstances had been different, Ranger would probably be patting the boy on his back. He was good.

After a couple of minutes of silent thought, Officer Ortega looked at Ranger, as if he held all the answers to his problems. His eyes were still shining with tears and he blew out a sigh. "Shit! What am I going to do now?"

"That's for you to figure out," Ranger answered, unmoved by the tears. "A couple of hours ago, you were glaring at me and my girlfriend through a glass door, ready to blow our heads off."

"What do you want from me?" Ortega implored, almost begging for an answer.

"I'd just as soon blow your head off myself. But I need you to get our passports back."

Ortega dropped his head between his shoulders, defeat plastered on his face. "Your passports are at the police department, locked up for safe keeping. The department has no clue about my involvement with the Apuro Cartel. They think I was conducting a legitimate investigation."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Ortega," Ranger said, standing in a crouched position to exit the van. "I think the only way you can save yourself from the Apuro Cartel is to turn yourself in and tell the authorities everything you know. And if you don't want to do that, you better gather your family and get the hell out of Mexico."

Ranger didn't mention Pedro's name, nor did he mention the DEA's involvement in Serena's murder investigation. The DEA hadn't done much to help clear Stephanie's name, and Ranger wasn't about to be their pitch man. He'd learned more about Ortega in one afternoon than Pedro and his DEA counterparts had probably learned in months. Naturally, the information he and Stephanie had acquired had spawned two dead bodies and a kidnapping. And Ranger figured the DEA didn't need that kind of red tape to cut through.

"So, what happens next?" Ortega asked Ranger.

Ranger looked at the man incredulously. "What do you think happens next? I can't just walk into the police station and tell them Officer Ortega sent me to retrieve a couple of passports. I want Stephanie's name cleared of any wrongdoing. And if you don't clear her name, I'll go to the police and tell them everything I know. I'm sure the Apuro Cartel will take good care of your family while you're in prison."

Ortega hung his head, weighing his options. But Ranger knew the man didn't have any options. He was backed into a brick wall, facing a firing squad.

Finally, Ortega said, "Take me back to my car. Then you can follow me to the police station. I'll get your passports back and clear Stephanie as a suspect. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in prison, nor do I want my family to pay for my mistakes."

***

Saturday evening ushered in a rain shower, the sky opening up with buckets of heavy rain. But Stephanie and Ranger didn't mind the dreary weather. They were hold up in the hotel room, packing their belongings, more than ready for the trip back to New Jersey. Stephanie was quiet as she rolled up her clothes, placing them in the suitcase. A strange kind of numbness had settled over her body as the events of the day replayed in her head.

Three hours prior, they'd left the Cancun Police Department with their passports in hand.

After Ranger's conversation with Ortega, They'd decided to leave the van abandoned on the desolate stretch of road and drive Ortega back to his car. Then they'd followed him directly to the police station.

Ortega had played it cool, bringing them both in for a _final interview_ before releasing Stephanie as a murder suspect in the case. Ortega returned their passports, throwing in a bogus apology for interrupting their vacation. The apology, of course, had been a show for the sake of the police department. But Stephanie and Ranger played along by pretending to humbly accept the lame request for forgiveness.

While they'd waited at the police station, Stephanie and Ranger heard whispers about two associates of the Apuro Cartel, shot to death in a building supposedly owned by the leader of the organization.

"Serves them right," one of the officer's had stated nastily. "Those crazy sons-of-bitches always turn on one another eventually. Saves us the effort."

Stephanie had glanced at Ranger somberly, realizing he wouldn't be getting a paycheck for his efforts. But, she would be going back to Trenton with the man she loved beside her, and they were both alive and well. In her mind the payoff was priceless.

"Babe, you still with me?" Ranger said to Stephanie, pulling her away from her thoughts. Folding a couple of T-shirts, he threw them in his suitcase as he studied Stephanie's face carefully, trying to gauge her mood. "You want to talk about it."

Stephanie gave Ranger a soft smile and shook her head, continuing to fold her clothes. The day had left her feeling raw and exposed. She actually welcomed the lack of sensation right now. She was afraid that if she started to cry, she wouldn't be able to stop.

Ranger walked over to where Stephanie was packing and gently removed a blouse from her hand. Standing in front of her, he tipped her chin up with his fingertip, so that she was looking directly into his eyes.

In a soft voice, he said, "You watched me kill two men today. And I don't expect you to pretend it didn't happen. We're going to have to deal with it."

Stephanie felt her resolve fade as the horror of the day finally washed over her in a wave of grief. She fell into Ranger's arms and sobbed. Holding her tight to his body, Ranger tried to block out the harsh visions from his own mind. He'd seen a lot of death in his short life span and he'd hoped to make a fresh start with Stephanie, leaving his demons in the past. But the Universe always seemed to have a different plan.

Rubbing his hand up and down Stephanie's back in a soothing motion, Ranger held her close until her sobs had faded into sniffles.

"I'm sorry," she said on a hiccup. "But I can't stop thinking about it. It's bad enough to have to come to grips with my own death, but I thought I was going to have to watch you die, too."

Stephanie swiped at her nose with the back of her hand and pulled away from Ranger, a questioning look on her face. "How is everything so easy for you? I know you're used to a crazy life…but, does anything affect you anymore?"

"Watching a man hold a gun to your head affects me," Ranger said evenly.

"Yes, I know that. But how do you feel _now_? What's going through your head?"

Taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Ranger explained, "A huge part of my make-up is that of a well trained machine. I've learned to react to dangerous situations without letting unnecessary emotions get in the way. That being said, I don't feel an ounce of guilt for what I did today. It was self defense."

Stephanie breathed through a hiccup and rested her head on Ranger's shoulder again.

"Are you sorry you made a commitment to me? Trouble seems to follow me everywhere I go."

Ranger pressed his cheek against Stephanie's temple. "Babe, I knew what I was getting myself into. I'm just not so sure you're truly prepared for what you've gotten _yourself_ into. I'm no Prince Charming. In truth, Prince of Darkness might be a better fit."

Stephanie lifted her head and looked at Ranger in surprise. "That's not true. You're my knight in shining armor, Ranger. There's no way I can repay you for saving my life."

"There's no price for what I did today, Stephanie. I don't want to lose you."

Stephanie wrapped her arms around Ranger's neck and touched her lips to his mouth, pouring all the day's emotions into one passionate kiss. Ranger curved his arm around her waist and slid his tongue inside her mouth, sucking on her bottom lip hungrily. And then a soft knock on the door stopped them in their tracks. Stephanie felt a chill shoot down her spine when Ranger let her go. Taking his gun off the nightstand, he walked to the door.

Peeking through the peep hole, he said, "Who is it?" He obviously didn't recognize the person on the other end.

"Room service, senior," the male voice called through the door.

Ranger looked at Stephanie and shook his head, moving from in front of the door. They hadn't ordered room service.

Stephanie reached into the drawer of the nightstand and pulled out the second gun. Walking briskly to the door, she took a parallel stance to Ranger on the opposite side of door.

"I haven't ordered room service," Ranger said to the stranger on the other side of the door.

After a few beats of silence the man said, "My apologies, senior. I must have the wrong room."

Ranger and Stephanie remained quiet, listening as the wheels of the food cart screeched down the hall, fading into the distance. They stood by the door for a couple more minutes, quietly listening for any sounds. Then Ranger slowly opened the door and peeked down the hall. The man was gone. Obviously, he'd had the wrong room _and_ the wrong floor.

"We have one more night in Cancun," Ranger said as he closed the door, turning the locks. I don't trust anyone at this resort. Let's finish packing and get the hell out of here. We'll find another hotel to stay in tonight."

TBC…


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N** One more chapter after this one. Thank you all for your positive reviews. I loved writing this story. And your great reviews pushed me along. Chapter ten will end this ride for Stephanie and Ranger. They need a good rest, don't you think?

Trouble in Paradise

By Dayoh

Chapter Nine

Waiting in the lobby of the Royal Palace, Stephanie sat in a chair amid suitcases, keeping her eyes on the people moving about the lobby while Ranger checked out. After their mystery visitor had left the scene, Ranger had reserved a room at a modest hotel just a few miles off the strip, close to the airfield. Their plan was to get up bright and early tomorrow morning and head for the Cancun Airport. With all the security checkpoints within the airport, it would be impossible for anyone to get a weapon past a certain point without being hauled off by the authorities. But, they still had to endure one more night in Mexico.

After a few minutes, Ranger ambled over to Stephanie and grabbed their suitcases. "We're done here. Let's go."

Eyes scanning the parking lot, Ranger and Stephanie walked to the west side of the building where their car was parked. Since Ranger was carrying two large suitcases, Stephanie hauled the carry-on bag over her shoulder while keeping one hand on the butt of the gun hiding under her T-shirt. Walking swiftly, yet cautiously, they made it to the car without incident. Ranger dumped the luggage inside the trunk and opened the passenger side door for Stephanie. Slipping into the seat, Stephanie felt an overpowering sense of relief. Six days ago, she was more than thrilled to see the resort. Now, she was grateful to be driving _away_ from the Royal Palace in one piece.

"You want to stop for a bite to eat?" Ranger asked. "I'm starving."

"That would be great," Stephanie said, suddenly remembering that several hours had passed since they'd had their last meal.

Any other time, she'd be wolfing down donuts and fried chicken. But the troubles of the day had left her thinking about other things besides food. She'd been far too busy thinking about her own mortality. And that wasn't the kind of diet she wanted to get used to.

After ten minutes of driving, Ranger made a right turn off the highway, pulling into the parking lot of a Mexican fast food joint. As he steered toward the drive through window, blue and red lights swirled behind the car, illuminating its interior. Stephanie glanced through the back window as Ranger eyeballed the rearview mirror. A dark, unmarked SUV pulled in right behind their rental car, police lights flickering from the dashboard.

"Fuck," Ranger said with a hint of irritation in his voice. He'd had his fill of drama for the day.

"What now?"

Ranger watched as Agent Pedro Cortez angled out of the vehicle. The windows on his SUV were tinted black, so Ranger couldn't see if there was a passenger in the car.

"DEA," Ranger said on a sigh. "I guess he wants to know what we've been up to."

"Sure, now he shows up," Stephanie said bitterly. "We could have used his help during the gun fight today."

Ranger cut his eyes to Stephanie. "We won't mention that incident, Babe."

"I hadn't planned on it. But he was supposed to be protecting us. Where's he been for the last two days?"

Pedro knocked on Ranger's window, leaned down to eye level, and offered a lazy smile. He was wearing a blue, button-down shirt and khaki dress slacks. Ranger pressed the electronic button to let the window down, but he didn't return the smile.

"How can we help you, Agent Cortez?"

"You two staying out of trouble?"

"Yes," Ranger lied. "And our vacation's officially over."

Pedro stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You got your passports back from Officer Ortega?"

"Yes. Stephanie has been cleared as a suspect?"

"Really?" Pedro asked curiously, raising an eyebrow. "What made Ortega change his mind?"

"You're the one who's investigating Ortega," Ranger said. "Maybe you should ask him."

"Well, that's the problem, Mr. Manoso. Officer Ortega seems to be missing in action. I stopped by the station this morning and was told that he'd taken the day off. Then I dropped by his house about an hour ago. His neighbor said that Ortega's wife showed up at his house with the family dog. She claimed they had to make an emergency trip out of town, asked if he could take care of the mutt while they were gone."

"Officer Ortega asked us to meet him at the police station this afternoon," Ranger explained to Pedro. "After we answered a few questions, he cleared Stephanie as a suspect. Then he gave us our passports back and sent us on our way."

"Pedro scratched his head, a pensive look wrinkling his forehead. "That's strange. He never called me to say he'd cleared Mrs. Plum as a suspect. I should have been the first to know."

"Maybe he told someone else on staff at the resort," Stephanie chimed in. "And that person forgot to tell you."

"Well, that could be," Pedro said, smiling at Stephanie. "I've been off for the last couple of days. Working undercover can be stressful."

Pedro eyeballed the rental car, inspecting the back seat through the window. "I see you got a rental car."

"We wanted to do a little sight seeing today," Ranger said. "Hard to do that in a cab."

"Expensive, too," Pedro added casually. He looked at Stephanie, then Ranger. "I guess you've heard about the Apuro shootings. It's been all over the news."

"We heard a quick blurb about it on the evening news," Ranger said calmly. "Do you think Officer Ortega might be involved in the shootings? Is that why you're looking for him?"

"That's a possibility. You never know what that Apuro gang is going to do. This investigation is coming along at a snails pace."

"Well, that's unfortunate," Ranger said, finalizing the conversation. "Good luck with that, Agent Cortez."

"I'll sure need it," Pedro said, shaking his head. Showing no signs of ending the conversation, he said, "Listen, I hope all this drama didn't ruin your whole vacation."

"We had a few good days," Stephanie said around a polite smile.

Ranger moved to roll up the window but Pedro grabbed the windowpane to stop him. "I noticed you'd stopped for a bite to eat. I haven't had dinner yet. I'd love to treat you both to a nice meal."

"Nice of you to offer," Ranger said. "But we'll have to pass."

Barely missing Pedro's finger's, Ranger rolled up the window, put the car in drive, and peeled out of the parking lot.

"What was _that_ about?" Stephanie asked apprehensively.

"Something's off," Ranger said, checking the rearview mirror. Pedro must have followed us from the Royal Palace. There's no way he just happened to run into us. And why was he so bothered by the fact that Ortega hadn't followed up with him? As far as Ortega is concerned, Pedro is just a staff member at the resort. Ortega is not obligated to report his comings and goings to Pedro."

Stephanie thought about Ranger's point of view for a beat, and then she said, "Pedro claimed that he stopped by Ortega's home. Why would an assistant manager stop by a police officer's home? I can't imagine he'd blow his cover to Ortega."

"It's highly unlikely. I think Pedro is a lot more familiar with Ortega than he's led us to believe."

"Wait a minute," Stephanie said, eyes stretched wide. "You think Pedro is working for the DEA _and_ the Apuro Cartel?"

"Let's think this through," Ranger said pensively. "Pedro said he was going protect us. But he was no where to be found when Ortega and his goons came after us today."

"We had disguises on," Stephanie reminded Ranger.

"Ortega found us."

"Yes, thanks to Augusto."

"I don't know where Augusto fits into all of this," Ranger admitted. "But let's look at this scenario from Apuro's point of view. Pedro Cortez would be an easy recruit for any drug cartel. He has first hand knowledge of all the rival drug cartels in Mexico, as well as the major distributors in the game. The way I see it, Pedro was never investigating Serena or Ortega or anyone else involved with the Apuro Cartel. In reality, he was covering their tracks, making sure the DEA stayed one step behind the eight ball."

An uncomfortable silence filled the car as Stephanie processed the new information. Then, finally breaking the silence, she said, "Pedro didn't want to protect us. He just wanted us to lay low until we were out of the picture. He was working against us the whole time."

"And to add insult to injury, Pedro was probably the one who ratted out Serena. She was telling him _everything_ because he worked for the DEA, and he'd promised to cut her a deal. But he was just feeding the information back to the Apuro Cartel."

"He's probably working with Armando to flush out the liabilities in the organization," Stephanie said. "Serena and Ortega were both liabilities."

Ranger continued Stephanie's thought as he sped down the highway. "Ortega fucked up when he didn't kill us today. That's why Pedro has not heard from him. And now that Ortega knows he's on Apuro's hit list, there is no way Pedro's going to hear from him again. The Apuro Cartel will have to hunt him down."

"The shoe," Stephanie blurted out, as if she were in a trance.

Ranger pulled his eyes off the road for a quick glance in Stephanie's direction.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, my God. That's how Officer Ortega knew we were going to Armando's building. Pedro must have put a bug in the heel of my shoe before he returned it to me."

Ranger turned his attention back to the road as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He'd blamed Augusto for the betrayal, but Pedro had been the culprit all along. The man had been listening in on their plans from the moment he'd dropped off the shoe. Hell, he'd been listening in on _everything, _not just their conversations. Glancing in his rearview mirror, Ranger pounded the steering wheel in frustration.

"Why the fuck didn't I think of that earlier," he said, disappointment lacing every word.

Ranger didn't usually make a habit of overlooking the obvious. But there had been so many players in this twisted game, Stephanie was surprised they'd figured anything out.

He said, "The only reason Pedro didn't kill us back at that drive through was because we were in a public spot. It would have been too risky."

Stephanie tried to keep the panic out of her voice, but it was hard to do. She felt like throwing up. "He offered to take us to dinner because he wanted to get us to a private location. What the hell are we going to do now? Pedro is not going to let us get on that plane tomorrow. We know too much."

"I have a good mind to call Pedro's field office, tell them he's a dirty cop. But, the problem is we don't know who is actually dirty and who is clean. Notifying the DEA might put more people on our tail. At this point, I don't know who to trust."

"What about the US Embassy?" Stephanie asked optimistically. "They can protect us, right?"

"Yes. But we'll have to tell them _everything_ that's happened."

Stephanie looked at Ranger. "You'd have to admit to killing the to cartel members in self defense?"

Ranger nodded his head. "And we'd have to admit we kidnapped Ortega to get our passports back. The Embassy would have to conduct an official investigation, which could last for months. And we'd be stuck here for the duration."

"Okay, plan B?"

"I'd hate to kill Pedro. Killing a DEA agent, no matter how corrupt he might be, spells trouble."

"Okay, Ranger, I'm really about to freak out here. How are we going to get out of Mexico alive?"

Ranger continued to drive, glaring in the rearview mirror every few seconds. His mouth was tight and he held the steering wheel with a death grip, as if it were his enemy. "Just let me think for a minute, Babe."

Stephanie and Ranger were supposed to be spending their last night at the Casa De Regina hotel, a few miles from the airport. But now, Stephanie wondered if they'd be safe anywhere.

After a long stretch of tense silence, Stephanie asked, "Are we still going to the hotel?"

"Yes. And when we get there, we'll check in as usual."

"And then what?"

"Since Pedro knows what our car looks like, we'll have to set out on foot. Then we'll have to catch a cab straight to the airport. With all the security there, it will be our safest bet."

"What about our suitcases?"

"The suitcases will have to stay with the car, Babe. I'm sure that bug hiding in the heel of your shoe has some kind of tracker. And that might work in our favor. Pedro and his goons will see that the car is parked at the hotel, but by the time they get our room number, we'll be gone. We just have to stay one step ahead of them until we get to the airport."

"What if Pedro is picking up our voices from the bug now?"

Ranger shook his head. "Sandwiched between the clothes in the suitcase and the roar of the engine, I doubt the bastards can pick up our conversation inside the car."

A few minutes later, Ranger pulled into the parking lot of the Casa De Regina hotel, finding a space as close to the front entrance as he could get. The hotel was close to the airport and the parking lot was full of cars. This made Stephanie feel better. At least they might make it into the building without being shot.

Ranger unhooked his safety belt and turned to look at Stephanie. "How are you holding up?"

Blinking back tears, Stephanie said, "I'm completely done in."

Her bones ached with anxiety and her head was pounding with a stress headache. "I could really use some chocolate right now."

Ranger leaned into Stephanie's space and gave her a soft, supportive kiss. "When we get back to Trenton, I'll buy you a pound of chocolate, Babe. Just don't freak out on me now, okay?"

Stephanie looked at Ranger with a distressing gaze. "I love you, Ranger," she said conclusively.

Her voice held a finality that pissed Ranger off. He wasn't about to support Stephanie's fears by issuing a final _I love you_. He'd been through worse situations and survived. Ranger didn't want Stephanie to succumb to defeat. He needed her strength to move forward.

"No," he said, shaking his head heatedly, his eyes dark. "I'm not even going there with you. We are going to focus on getting on that plane tomorrow. We'll be fine, Stephanie."

Stephanie closed her eyes and prayed Ranger was right. Then she took a deep breath, unbuckled her seat belt and said, "Let's go."

They exited the car, leaving their luggage in the trunk. Their weapons were secured in the waistbands of their jeans, and Ranger carried the money, ID's and passports in his back pockets. Walking briskly to the front door, they made it to the check in counter within seconds. Ranger went through the motions of checking them in, telling the young clerk that they'd be staying for one night. He paid for the room in cash.

Chewing on a wad of gum, the chunky, male clerk checked them in and handed the room key to Ranger. And in an uninterested voice, he said, "You're in room 421. The elevator is down the hall to your right. Have a great stay at Casa De Regina."

Ranger guided Stephanie to the elevator and hit the up arrow. The doors to the elevator opened slowly and they stumbled in. But instead of heading to the fourth floor, Ranger hit the button to the second floor.

"On the east side of the building, there was a fire escape between the second and third floor," he explained to Stephanie. "So there must be an emergency exit that leads to that fire escape."

The elevator stopped on the second floor and Ranger and Stephanie got off. They looked toward the east end of the hallway, and sure enough, there was a glass door with neon sign above it, promoting the emergency fire exit. Barreling down the hall, they pushed open the door and an alarm pierced the silent corridor with a shriek, telling the patrons of the hotel that an _emergency only_ exit had been compromised.

"We'll be gone by the time a staff member checks it out," Ranger said, pushing Stephanie toward the metal stairs of the fire escape. She climbed down first, and then Ranger followed right behind her.

Landing in a dark, narrow alley at the bottom of the stairs, their eyes swept over the path running alongside the building, snaking around the back of the hotel. Ranger pulled the gun out of his waistband and led Stephanie down the paved path to the back of the building. Under a street lamp, two service vehicles sat parked in the back parking lot, next to a big dumpster. Just behind the dumpster, a group of trees lined the edge of the pavement.

Stephanie looked at Ranger. "It's really dark behind those trees."

"Yeah," Ranger agreed, "But I can see a building through the trees. So there's probably a side street close to that building."

Ranger stared into the darkness beyond the trees. "We have a better chance of getting around unnoticed on a side street."

Before she could protest, Ranger grabbed Stephanie's hand and they stumbled quietly through the trees, the branches scratching at their arms. After clearing the trees, they came out on a dark, one-way side street. There were no cars parked on the small road, and a large warehouse sat at the end of the street, void of light.

Ranger and Stephanie stopped and listened for sound. Off in the distance, they heard the sound of traffic, tires zipping along a paved street, an occasional toot of a horn.

Ranger said, "There has to be a gas station or restaurant on that street. We'll catch a cab from there."

"We can call a cab from here," Stephanie said. "We have our cell phones."

"Do you really want a strange man to pick us up on a dark road?" Ranger asked.

Stephanie shook her head and grabbed Ranger's hand again. Following the sound of traffic, they pressed on. Ten minutes later, they were standing at a small intersection with a light flow of traffic zooming by. Just off the intersection, a McDonalds and a gas station shared the same parcel of land. Stephanie inhaled the aroma of fried meat and potatoes and her stomach growled. She was starving.

Ranger took note of the names on the intersecting street signs and pulled Stephanie toward the McDonalds. They walked through the front door and found an open booth in the back of the restaurant. It was a Saturday night in a tourist town and the place was packed with annoyed parents, screaming kids, and hungry teenagers.

"You order the food, I'll call a cab and keep an eye on the door," Ranger said, pulling his iPhone out of his pocket. "If we were being followed, they'd have taken us out by now."

A few minutes later, they were seated in the booth, stuffing their faces while waiting for the cab. Stephanie devoured a Big Mac, large fry, and a fried apple pie. Ranger inhaled two fish sandwiches and a garden salad. The cab pulled in front of the restaurant just as they were finishing their meal. Ranger threw away their trash and led Stephanie to the front door. Outside, their eyes swept through the parking as they made their way to the cab. The driver looked at Ranger expectantly. He didn't have all night. There was plenty of money to be made on a Saturday evening.

Ranger opened the door of the cab and nudged Stephanie toward the back seat, and then a familiar voice called out behind them.

"Hola, Carlos and Stephanie."

Ranger whipped around, hand on the handle of the gun hidden under his shirt. Augusto smiled wide, seemingly unmoved by Ranger's defensive stance.

"Hey, Augusto," Stephanie said to the bellhop. She was standing beside Ranger, looking at the teenager in surprise. "We always seem to run into you, no matter where we are."

No sooner than the words had come out of Stephanie's mouth, Ranger moved directly in front of her, shielding her body. Stephanie felt a wave of fear wash over her and she reached for her gun. Augusto hadn't just run into them by chance. He'd been following them.

Trying to diffuse their panic, Augusto smiled at Stephanie and Ranger harmlessly. He said to the cab driver, "I'll be taking my friends wherever they need to go. Sorry for the inconvenience, amigo."

The taxi driver eyeballed Augusto and drove away quickly. Perhaps he sensed something was off, too.

Augusto kept the boyish smile on his face and placed his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. His stance was relaxed.

"Walk away, Augusto," Ranger said evenly. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You are in danger, my friend," Augusto said under his breath. The boyish quality was now gone. Augusto was speaking in a mature, professional manner, his voice deeper than usual. "I'm trying to get you out of here alive."

"You work for Apuro, too?" Ranger asked Augusto.

Augusto laughed animatedly and threw up his hands, as if he were sharing a casual laugh with a couple of friends. Then he said softly, "I don't work for the Apuro Cartel. But they are here, in this parking lot. Don't look around suspiciously. Just act like we're having a normal conversation."

Stephanie plastered a fake smile on her face, but her knees were knocking. "Who are you, then?"

"Follow me to my car; I'll explain when we get there. We don't want to be in this parking lot in the next few minutes."

Ranger didn't move. He kept his hand on the gun under his shirt and his eyes glued on Augusto. Stephanie knew that he was about two seconds away from pulling out the pistol and killing the youngster. If they were going down, Ranger was going to make sure they went down in a blaze of glory. And he was definitely going to take someone with him.

Sensing Ranger's trepidation, a flash of annoyance crossed over Augusto's face. But within seconds, he had the phony smile plastered on his lips again. He was unquestionably putting on a show for someone.

"_Please,_ Carlos," he said in an irritated rush. "There are SWAT teams hiding in the shadows, ready to take down Pedro Cortez and Armando Marino, before they get a hold of you and Stephanie. You have to trust me."

Stephanie passed an urgent glance to Ranger. His face remained stoic; he didn't know what to believe. The situation had become a never ending nightmare and everyone seemed to be dancing with the devil. Now, Augusto was standing in front of Stephanie and Ranger, asking for their trust. And they were fresh out of options.

Reluctantly, Ranger took Stephanie's hand and followed Augusto. The young man moved swiftly, leading them to the far end of the gas station, directly across from the McDonalds. He motioned them toward a car parked behind the building. The license plate on the silver Mercury Sable was government issued, but that didn't mean much. There were too many government officials in Mexico operating on the wrong side of the law.

Augusto opened the front, passenger side door for Stephanie, but Ranger nudged her toward the back door of the automobile. He'd take the front seat. He wanted a clear shot of the Augusto's head, just in case. Stephanie would have a better chance of getting away if she were in the back seat, out of Augusto's reach.

Augusto smiled respectfully at Ranger, allowing him to sit in the front seat. "You're a smart man, Carlos. Always thinking on your toes."

Ranger opened the back door for Stephanie and she climbed in. Then he watched Augusto walk to the driver's side of the car and angle into the front seat. Sliding into the front seat next to Augusto, Ranger said, "What happens now?"

Lifting his arm to his mouth, Augusto spoke into a small microphone hidden in the sleeve of his leather jacket. "The targets are safe with me. All systems go. Take them down."

Augusto looked at Ranger with a hopeful smile, started the car, and pulled the Mercury from behind the gas station, keeping his eyes on the well lit McDonalds parking lot. Suddenly, out of the darkness, two black vans peeled through the parking lot, tires screeching from the effort. The first van pulled in front of a dark SUV tucked under a tree at the far end of the McDonalds parking lot. The second van pulled in behind the vehicle, blocking its get-a-way path. Then a dozen men in SWAT gear jumped out of the vans, aiming their assault rifles at the SUV.

The police officer closest to the driver's side window barked out a clear order at the top of his lungs. "Driver, step out of the vehicle with your hands in the air!"

Augusto, Ranger and Stephanie watched the scene unfold as Pedro Cortez climbed out of the driver's side of the SUV, hands in the air.

Then another order was called out. "Passenger, step out of the vehicle with your hands in the air!"

The passenger side door of the SUV opened and a short, thick necked, Hispanic male stepped out, hands pointed to the sky, snarl on his lips. The man was the waiter, AKA the enforcer of the Apuro Cartel, Armando Marino. Both men were ordered to kneel on the ground, hands clasped behind their heads. And without incident, the two men were frisked, handcuffed and shoved into a police cruiser.

Augusto inhaled air deep into his lungs and blew out a satisfied sigh. Then he turned to face Ranger and Stephanie with a proud smile on his face. With the same professional voice he'd used a few minutes prior, he said, "Now, I can properly introduce myself. Carlos and Stephanie, I'm Special Agent Augusto Lopez with Internal Affairs."

TBC…


	10. Chapter 10

Trouble in Paradise

By Dayoh

Chapter Ten

The clock on Augusto Lopez's desk read twelve-thirty a.m., which meant Stephanie and Ranger had been at the INTERPOL field office in Cancun for more than two hours. During the first hour, Augusto had admitted to being a thirty-year-old agent working undercover with the Internal Affairs Bureau. Special Agent Augusto Lopez had the tedious job of uncovering corrupt law enforcement officers throughout Mexico. And the IAB had been working with the Mexican government for the past six months, investigating Pedro Cortez and his role in the Apuro Cartel.

Strangely, Stephanie's unintentional connection to Serena's murder case helped the IAB uncover another corrupt law enforcement official who was also working with the Apuro Cartel. Augusto had explained that Officer Ortega was a twenty year veteran with the Cancun Police Department, and no one would have guessed that he was leading a double life, especially the people that worked beside him every day.

And that was as far as Augusto had gotten in his explanation, because an hour prior, he'd been called away for an emergency conference call. He'd left Stephanie and Ranger in his office to complete a written statement about their involvement in the case, as well as their interactions with some of the key players in the Apuro Cartel.

At twelve-thirty five a.m., Augusto ambled into the small, messy office and glanced at Stephanie and Ranger apologetically. He was carrying a cardboard cup holder filled with three Styrofoam cups of steaming coffee. Passing one to Stephanie and the other to Ranger, he smiled courteously. His eyes were red rimmed from fatigue as he sat down at his desk, holding the third cup of coffee for himself. They'd all had a long night.

"I apologize for the delay," he said. "As you can imagine, things have been crazy since the take down. My team is working directly with the DEA's office, trying to uncover every single member of the Apuro Cartel. My job, of course, was to capture Agent Cortez and Officer Ortega. But they are minor players within the Apuro Cartel. Hopefully, Pedro and Armando will sing like birds and tell the authorities what they need to know."

Ranger said, "The DEA have their own demons to contend with."

Augusto shook his head apathetically. "I have to admit, I don't envy the DEA's position right now. They'll have to exercise major damage control since one of their own has been arrested for corruption."

Stephanie took a cautious sip of the hot coffee and asked Augusto, "Have you found Ortega?"

"We have an APB out for Ortega in Mexico and the US. And, we're keeping an eye on his immediate family members and close friends. I just hope we can get to him before someone in the Apuro Cartel finds him. Ortega can run, but he won't be able to hide for long."

Augusto leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his desk. Watching Stephanie and Ranger intently, he inquired, "How are you two holding up?"

"We'll be much better in a few hours," Ranger said in a quiet, tired voice. "I don't think I've ever been happy to end a vacation. But I'll be glad when this one is history."

Stephanie nodded her head in agreement as she studied Pedro's face. "I still can't get over the fact that you're a thirty-year-old man and not a teenager."

Augusto smiled a boyish smile, almost blushing. "I've always had a slim build and a baby face. My physical attributes make it very hard to get an adult undercover gig. I usually get stuck playing the role of an adolescent thug or a fresh faced bellhop."

Turning his attention to Ranger, Augusto reached into his pocket and pulled out fifty dollars, pushing it across the desk. "Here's your money back, Carlos. I have to admit, I was very impressed with your ability to get the information you needed. IAB was tempted to put you on their payroll."

Ranger leaned forward in his seat and took the money. "Have you been following us all night?"

"Actually, my team was trailing Pedro Cortez. As you now know, he was our main target of investigation. But once I found out that he'd set his sights on you and Stephanie, I had to keep someone on his tail at all times."

Ranger raised an eyebrow. "Who led you to Pedro?"

"A few months ago, Internal Affairs received an anonymous telephone call. The caller claimed that a high ranking official inside the DEA was involved with the Apuro Cartel. Government corruption is a standard practice in Mexico, and the Apuro Cartel has a major stake in the drug game here. So, I was asked to follow up on that call and do some investigating. That investigation led me to the Royal Palace, playing the role of a teenage bellhop. I now believe the anonymous caller was someone from the Trujillo Cartel. They've been in competition with the Apuro Cartel for years. Both groups were vying for the top drug supplier spot in Mexico."

"And Serena was a major player in that turf war," Stephanie deduced.

Nodding his head, Augusto said, "Serena was working for the Apuro Cartel _and_ the Trujillo Cartel. But, she had no clue that Pedro Cortez was working for the DEA _and_ the Apuro Cartel. When she was arrested by the DEA for smuggling drugs into Mexico, Pedro Cortez was assigned as the lead investigator. His job was to expose the Apuro Cartel's drug operation, so he recruited Serena, assuming she'd give up the dirt since she was on her way to prison. As Pedro's informant, Serena was promised a reduced prison sentence and witness protection once she got out of prison."

"So, Serena gave Pedro all the ammunition he needed," Ranger said to Augusto. He'd already figured out the scenario. "She even admitted to Pedro that she was leaking vital information to the rival gang. And that's why she was killed, right?"

"Correct," Augusto said to Ranger. "The waiter, Armando Marino, killed Serena. Armando and Pedro planned Serena's murder, and then Officer Ortega was thrown into the mix."

"To cover up the murder," Stephanie added. "That's how I got involved."

"Right," said Augusto. "Your altercation with Serena was a stroke of luck for the Apuro gang. Armando and Pedro jumped at the opportunity to kill Serena and frame you for her murder. But Ortega was the wrong man for the job. He wasn't smart enough to cover up a murder for the Apuro Cartel."

Ranger thought back to the conversation he'd had with Ortega in the van. The man had been reduced to tears, scared out of his mind. To say he wasn't the man for the job was an understatement. Every move Ortega made had been sloppy. Ranger had called the man's bluff the minute he'd confiscated their passports.

Ranger said to Augusto, "Last night, someone came to our hotel room with a food cart, pretending to be on staff. We hadn't ordered room service and I didn't recognize him, so I didn't let him in."

Augusto nodded his head knowingly. "Rubin Media, AKA, the Butcher. He works as a part-time cook at the Royal Palace, but he's also a member of the Apuro Cartel. You can rest easy because Rubin was apprehended by the authorities tonight, along with three other Apuro employees who worked in housekeeping at the Royal Palace. That's what the conference call was about."

Ranger passed a glance to Stephanie. Now it all made sense. The Apuro Cartel had personal employees working as live-in housekeepers at the resort. That explained why Serena's room had been flawlessly cleaned. With the Royal Palace crawling with Apuro employees, it was a miracle they'd made it out of the hotel alive.

As if reading their minds, Augusto said, "I don't know how you two did it, but you managed to escape a very deadly cartel."

Stephanie stared at Ranger for a beat, silently praising his sharp military skills and animal like instincts. But Ranger didn't glance back this time. He seemed irritated by Augusto's words. And she couldn't blame him for being annoyed. They'd been dodging killers for the last couple of days, and now Augusto was praising them for staying alive when he'd known they were in danger from the time he'd introduced himself on the strip.

"If you knew that Armando was an assassin for the Apuro Cartel, why did you give me his personal information?" Ranger asked Augusto.

Augusto gave Ranger a disapproving look, as if he were ready to scold him for bad behavior. "When I gave you the information to Armando's apartment, I was playing the roll of the helpful bellhop. I didn't think you'd actually go to the man's apartment. That was a crazy thing to do."

"So, you knew what was going down at that building?" Ranger asked incredulously. "And you did nothing to stop it?"

A mask of annoyance covered Augusto's face. Ranger's question seemed to rattle him. Leaning forward in his chair, Augusto said, "I had to maintain my cover, with you and the staff at the Royal Palace. You were paying me for information, and I was giving you what you paid for. What you did with that information was out of my control, Carlos. Both of you made a conscious decision to go to Armando's apartment without back-up."

Augusto sat back in his chair again. "Now, I'm sorry things got out of hand, but when I gave you Armando's information, I didn't know what was going to happen."

"But you knew Pedro and Ortega were planning to kill us at some point," Ranger said with a blank stare.

Another show of frustration spread across Augusto's face. "Yes. We had Pedro's cell phone bugged. That's how we learned that Officer Ortega was involved with the Apuro Cartel. But you have to understand, Pedro and Ortega discussed everything in code. They knew how to cover their tracks. They never came right out and said _we have to kill Carlos and Stephanie_. I had to decode their cryptic telephone calls to uncover vital information."

Taking another gulp of coffee, Augusto swallowed hard and continued to explain.

"Yesterday morning, while listening in on a telephone conversation between Pedro and Ortega, I knew something was going down at Armando's building, but I thought they were planning some kind of drug transaction. I didn't put two and two together until I heard about the shooting on the news. Later that night, I had to listen in on a telephone conversation between Pedro and Armando to learn that Ortega had failed his mission and disappeared. I quickly deduced that the two dead men left behind were the casualties of a failed murder attempt on your lives. And I don't even want to know how you convinced Ortega to give you back your passports."

"Everything we did was in self defense," Stephanie added quickly.

"I know it was self defense," Augusto sighed. "That's why you two are sitting in my office instead of a jail cell. You obstructed an investigation and put your own lives at risk."

The room grew quiet as Stephanie and Ranger let Augusto's words sink in. Augusto was right, of course. There was only so much he could have done to protect them, seeing as how they'd decided to go to an assassin's dwelling without any legal authority to do so. They were damned lucky that the whole murder scene had been publicly written off as a shootout between rival drug cartels.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Augusto said to Ranger, "Look, I know you felt like your back was against the wall. The people you thought were there to protect you ended up turning on you. Once I realized that Pedro's goal was to get rid of you and Stephanie, I did my best to keep you alive. I'm sorry the two of you were pulled into this mess. I did not anticipate these turn of events when I took on the investigation."

"No," Ranger said pointedly, wiping his hand over his five O'clock shadow. "I owe you an apology. What you did tonight went above and beyond your call of duty. You were in the middle of an investigation, and we could have blown the whole thing to hell."

Augusto blew out a sigh and dropped his shoulders, seemingly relieved that Ranger understood his position. With all the corruption around him, the man was genuinely concerned about the reputation of his organization.

"As luck would have it, you actually helped the investigation. Officer Ortega was not even on my radar until Serena's murder. His scheme to hang Serena's murder on Stephanie's head gave us the leverage we needed to investigate his involvement with the Apuro Cartel."

"Two birds with one stone," Ranger pointed out.

Augusto flashed Ranger a boyish smile. "I have not been that lucky in years. You sure you don't want to work for Internal Affairs? You definitely have the background and skill set. I could get you a nice big office here in Mexico."

Ranger shook his head. "No thanks. I have my own company to run. And I've had my fill of Mexico. In fact, I can go the rest of my life without even muttering the word, Mexico."

"Understood," Augusto said around a chuckle. He pushed his chair back and stood to his feet. "I'll have an officer take you two back to your rental car. I'm sure you would like to get a few hours of sleep before your plane takes off."

***

As the airplane ascended into the sky, pushing through the clouds, Ranger and Stephanie relaxed into their seats, resting their heads on small pillows provided by the airline. They were both quiet and worn out. Once they'd made it back to the Casa De Regina Hotel, sleep had not come easy. They'd been too wound up from the day's events to fall into a deep slumber. Consequently, by the time the sun had peeked through the bedroom window, they were up and ready to get to the airport.

Now, Ranger was silently glancing out the window, deep in thought as he watched the airplane float above the clouds. Stephanie turned her head in Ranger's direction and gently pushed her hand into his hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Penny for your thoughts," she said quietly.

Pulling his gaze away from the window, Ranger looked at Stephanie and said, "We make a good team, you and me."

Stephanie smiled and laid her head on Ranger's shoulder. "We've always worked well together."

Ranger rested his chin on the top of Stephanie's head. "I love you so much, Babe."

"I love you, too," Stephanie said with a hitch in her throat. Closing her eyes to ward off the tears from raw emotion, she said, "You want to try Hawaii next time?"

"Babe, with our luck, we'll be kidnapped by some Hawaiian cartel and sold abroad as sex slaves."

All Stephanie could do was smile. To anyone else, that scenario would seem unbelievably bizarre. But with the things she and Ranger had been through within the last few days, that situation didn't sound so strange.

They were both quiet for a few reflective moments, and then Ranger said, "You know, I think our families should meet. We'll have a cook-out in my backyard and invite our families to join us."

Stephanie lifted her head off Ranger's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I think it would be nice."

"That's a huge step for you, Ranger."

Ranger cut his eyes to Stephanie, the corners of his lips turned up into a smile.

"Yeah, I'm feeling kind of invincible. If we can take on a Mexican drug cartel, we can certainly survive a cook-out with my father and Grandma Mazur."

"And if the cook-out goes well, what's the next step?" Stephanie asked with a mischievous smile on her face.

Ranger smiled a megawatt smile. "Then I'll get you in my kitchen, barefoot and pregnant"

Stephanie narrowed her eyes at Ranger. "I think you forgot something. What comes before the barefoot and pregnant part?"

Ranger pretended to think for a moment, and then he said, "Weeks upon weeks of wild, porn style sex. How could I forget that?"

Stephanie punched Ranger in the arm and rolled her eyes. "We should discuss the cook-out later. You're tired and punchy."

Returning her head to Ranger's shoulder, Stephanie closed her eyes again.

Ranger kissed the top of her head gently, and then he pushed his lips against her ear. "When we get back to Trenton, let's move the rest of your clothes into my apartment. And we'll go from there, okay?"

Lifting her once more, Stephanie studied Ranger's face for authenticity. He stared back at her with unwavering eyes. Ranger was trying to put a genuine plan into motion, and he was asking Stephanie to take the next step with him.

"Okay," she said optimistically. "I like that plan. But are you really willing to give up _most_ of your closet space?"

"Between the Bat Cave and my apartment, you've already commandeered most of my closet space, Babe. We might as well make it official."

Stephanie smiled sheepishly. Ranger was right; most of her clothes were split between his house in Hunterdon County and his apartment at Rangeman. She usually stayed with Ranger three to four nights a week anyway, so _making it official_ seemed like a rational transition. And for the first time in Stephanie's adult life, the idea of moving into a man's home on a permanent basis didn't seem so scary. She was ready to take that next step with Ranger.

El Extremo…Para Ahora


End file.
